don’t miss your copy! abdulsamad defends expats as hashem...

ISSUE NO: 17729

28 Pages 150 Fils

www.kuwaittimes.net

Established 1961 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf

JAMADA ALAWWAL 4, 1440 AHTHURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

Arab Robotics Championshipkicks off at Kuwait University3 28

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News in brief

Abdulsamad defends expats as Hashem denies insulting them

New visit visa rules

KUWAIT: The interior ministry’s residency affairsdirectorate announced new regulations for issuingvarious types of visit visas, said informed sources,noting that the residency affairs director directedvarious department managers to set a minimumsalary of KD 500 for sponsors applying for visitvisas for their parents or in-laws. The instructionsalso authorized various immigration managers to setthe visit period for parents and in-laws at 30 days forfamily visit visas and 90 days for tourist visit visasaccording to the sponsors’ jobs, circumstances andthe reason for the visit. The new instructions limitsiblings’ visit visas to 30 days and reaffirmed the sus-pension of all visit visa extensions. — Al-Anbaa

Japan survive scare as Qatar get welcome win

Kuwait eyeing taxation system • Muwaizri likens Assembly to KGB

KUWAIT: The interior ministry has warned againstgathering or marching in violation of the laws with-out obtaining permission from competent authori-ties. This came in a press statement by the generaldirectorate of relations and security information atthe ministry yesterday after reports were circulatedon social media about plans by some individuals tomarch in Taima in Jahra tomorrow.

The ministry stressed the security establishment’skeenness on the security and safety of citizens andresidents in order to preserve peace and order inthe country. It appealed to citizens and residents tocooperate with the ministry in order for it to per-form its duties fully. Although the statement did notprovide additional details, protests have been held inTaima by bedoons (stateless residents) demandingcitizenship and other rights in 2011 and 2014, withsecurity forces responding with tear gas. — KUNA

Interior ministry warns against illegal rallies

By B Izzak and A Saleh

KUWAIT: Prominent lawmaker AdnanAbdulsamad yesterday strongly defend-ed expatriates living and working in thecountry and rejected a campaign target-ing them, insisting that they are herebecause Kuwaiti companies broughtthem to serve the country. Speaking dur-ing a debate on the Amiri speech in theAssembly, the lawmaker said it wasstrange to see a campaign targetingexpatriates, adding that “they only camehere at the wish of those who recruitedthem - citizens, the government andcompanies”. He added that there arejobs that “only expatriates can do” andcalled on all to respect them.

MP Safaa Al-Hashem, who has beenhighly critical of expatriates, said she hasnever undermined the dignity of expatri-ates but always aimed at rectifying thehuge imbalance in the demographicstructure. She said that there are many“marginal” expatriate laborers in thecountry who have “exhausted” publicservices and infrastructure.

Responding to Hashem, Abdulsamadsaid that he did not mean to target her,but was referring to what is being said atdiwaniyas against expatriates and someinstances of harassment against them.

The two lawmakers called on authoritiesto fight against the so-called visa traderswho exploit expatriate workers by tak-ing large fees from them to issue visasbut without giving them any work.Kuwait is home to over three millionexpatriates and around 1.4 million citi-zens, prompting some MPs and activiststo call for the Kuwaitization of jobs inthe government.

During the session, several lawmakersclashed over a decision by the legal andlegislative committee to lift the immunity ofIslamist MP Mohammad Hayef over com-ments on Twitter. Several MPs accused thecommittee of not being neutral because inthe tweet, Hayef did not mention anynames. The Assembly then voted to rejectthe recommendation to lift his immunity.

MP Riyadh Al-Adasani criticized thegovernment for hiking the prices of petroland other services, saying such increasesnegatively impact both citizens and expa-triates. He said MPs will oppose any gov-ernment move to impose taxes or increasethe cost of public services because theburden of such measures will fall on the

people. He said he will oppose the privati-zation of health, education and the oil sec-tors.

Notably, Secretary General of theSupreme Council for Planning andDevelopment Khaled Mahdi yesterdaysaid state revenues come from naturalresources and investments, adding thatKuwait is on the verge of imposing a taxa-tion system with the aim of improvingpublic services. Mahdi added that a num-ber of the development plan projects havebeen completed, while others are stillunder construction. “Finished projectswere launched in 2018 include JaberHospital, Terminal 4 and Jahra Hospital,” heexplained, noting that some projects havebeen rescheduled.

After the session, leading oppositionMP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri, who on Tuesdayclashed with Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem, criticized the way the speakermanages sessions. Muwaizri claimed thatthe Assembly has become like the SovietKGB and alleged some MPs were beingspied on. The next Assembly session willbe held on Jan 30.

Adnan Abdulsamad

Needle-free blood type analyzer

KUWAIT: A team from the technological departmentof the Public Authority for Applied Education andTraining (PAAET) has developed a needle-free deviceable to analyze blood types, said a statement yesterday.Head of the team Dr Ibrahim Sultan said the deviceuses light beam-based technology which targets bloodvessels and determines the blood type of any individ-ual. He revealed that the device was documented inDecember in a magazine published by the DoveMedical Press. The development of the device comes inline with PAAET’s efforts to develop technology withinthe medical field, Sultan affirmed. — KUNA

6 killed in Qatif raid

RIYADH: Six suspects wanted over unrest in SaudiArabia’s Shiite minority stronghold of Qatif werekilled in a police raid this week, the kingdom’s secretservice said yesterday. One person was lightlywounded and arrested in the “preemptive” raid on“terrorists” holed up in a house in the eastern town ofJish on Monday, a statement carried by the officialSaudi Press Agency said. Five officers were woundedin the operation, which the statement said had foiled aplanned attack on infrastructure development in theEastern Province, which includes Qatif. — AFP

Amazon’s Bezos to divorce

NEW YORK: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, ratedthe world’s wealthiest person with a fortune esti-mated at around $137 billion, announced yesterdayon Twitter that he and his wife Mackenzie Bezoswere divorcing after a long separation. “As our fam-ily and close friends know, after a long period ofloving exploration and trial separation, we havedecided to divorce and continue our shared lives asfriends,” Jeff Bezos, 54, and MacKenzie Bezos, 48,said in joint statement posted to Bezos’ Twitterfeed. — AFP

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Public Institution for SocialSecurity (PIFSS) has filed a libel suit with the supremecourt of the United Kingdom against asset managementcompany Man Group PLC and its subsidiaries. PIFSSsaid in a press release yesterday it is seeking tentative

compensation amounting to $156 million, charging thecompany with making clandestine deals with a formerofficial of the institution between 1996 and 2013. Theinstitution said it filed the libel suit in November, butabstained from revealing the legal move pending officialapproval.

The press release quoted Finance Minister NayefAl-Hajraf as saying that instructions by HH the PrimeMinister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabahwith respect to combating corruption and taking legalaction were implemented this year. Hajraf, as cited bythe press release, said PIFSS had taken legal measuresagainst officials of Abraj Holding Group, and now these

procedures will be completed against a British financialcompany and its group, affirming its approach toreforms and legally punishing the corrupt.

Meanwhile, PIFSS Director General Hamad Al-Humaidhi said the institution filed the libel case aftercompleting examination of past investments andacquiring needed evidence and documents. PIFSS hastaken the legal measures against the investment manag-er of the British company, he said, affirming that it willcontinue scrutinizing relevant enterprises and takingthe warranted legal measures to reclaim public fundswith the support of the political leadership and theCabinet. — KUNA

Social security institution sues British company

BAGHDAD: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (left) holds talks with Iraqi PrimeMinister Adel Abdel Mahdi yesterday. — AFP

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump delivers a televised address to the nation onfunding for a border wall from the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday. — AFP

BAGHDAD: US Secretary of State MikePompeo said yesterday Turkey had com-mitted to protecting Washington’sKurdish allies fighting militants during asurprise visit to Iraq to soothe concernsover the US troop withdrawal from Syria.The remarks by US President DonaldTrump’s top diplomat, on a whistle-stoptour of the Middle East, follow tensionsbetween Washington and Ankara over

the Kurds’ fate. Turkey reacted angrily tosuggestions that Trump’s plan to pulltroops from Syria was conditional on thesafety of US-backed Kurdish fighterswho it considers terrorists.

But Pompeo, speaking in the IraqiKurdish regional capital Arbil, saidTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoganhad given assurances over the SyrianKurds and the US withdrawal plan wasintact. “It’s important that we do every-thing we can to make sure that thosefolks that fought with us are protectedand Erdogan has made commitments, heunderstands that,” Pompeo toldreporters. “He (Erdogan) talked aboutterrorists being an existential threat, we

Continued on Page 24

Pompeo makesreassurance mission to Iraq

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: Starting next week, 73 Indian nurses whohave been stranded in Kuwait without a job for the pasttwo years will finally begin regular duties at Kuwait’spublic hospitals and clinics. This was confirmed by arepresentative of the group, who spoke to Kuwait

Times on the condition of anonymity. “We are veryhappy about this. We’ve waited so long; our familiessuffered enough because of this ordeal. Now the jobwe were waiting for is in our hands. We want to makesure we will be performing our duties as per the healthministry’s contract. We fought for this for long, so wereally want to express our gratitude to those who stoodby us during the darkest times of our ordeal,” thegroup’s spokesperson said.

“The Indian Embassy did a lot to make this MoHemployment possible. We had several fallouts duringthe past two years with them, but it turned out theywere the ultimate agency that helped us resolve ourproblem. Thank God all problems were sorted out andall issues surrounding our employment and legality

were addressed,” she noted. The spokesperson alsopraised the health ministry officials in Kuwait, the mediathat highlighted their issues to the public and someNGOs that supported them in times of need.

“Thank you MoH for allowing us stay at the govern-ment accommodation, where we were provided withfood while our issues were being tackled. We are now inthe stage of training and workshops for almost a monthto prepare us for the job next week. We’ve been orient-ed to the basic rules and guidelines of the ministry and itlooks like every one of us is ready for the job. As per ourexpertise, we are ready to work. This is only a refreshercourse, as we’ve worked and have experience in this job,so it’s easier for us,” she told Kuwait Times.


73 stranded Indiannurses to start work next week

WASHINGTON: A cornered USPresident Donald Trump held talks withcongressional leaders yesterday over hisdemand for a US-Mexico border wall,with his options running out for ending aprolonged partial government shutdownover the impasse. Trump gave a nine-

minute primetime address Tuesday nightto make the case for his signaturedomestic policy idea, but made no con-cessions to opposition Democrats, whohave rejected funding for the project.The impasse has left 800,000 federalemployees without pay, and the partialshutdown that started December 22 isnow approaching the longest on record.

“We MUST fix our Southern Border!”Trump tweeted yesterday morning,ahead of planned meetings with lawmak-ers later in the day. But there were fewsigns of a breakthrough. “Neither sidefeel they can cave and not pay a terriblepolitical price,” Republican SenatorMarco Rubio said on Fox News.


Cornered Trump running out of options to end govt shutdown

Don’t miss your copy!

L o c a l Thursday, January 10, 2019

2

Amir receives Oman’s ForeignMinister, GCC Secretary General

Kuwait praises Oman’s role in promoting GCC; Kuwait’s support acknowledged

BRUSSELS: A leadingMember of the EuropeanParliament has underlinedthe significant role ofKuwait in mediating andresolving the crisis in theGulf. “We need Kuwait.We need the actions ofKuwait. Kuwait has a spe-cial role to play especiallyto resolve the Gulf crisis,”Michele Alliot-Marie,Chair of the Delegation on Relations with the ArabPeninsula in the European Parliament, said in an inter-view in Brussels yesterday. “We want Kuwait to findsolutions. We cannot be the mediator in the crisis butKuwait can do it. We are here to help Kuwait andassist and guarantee the solution when it will befound,” said the French MEP who has served asFrance’s defense and foreign minister in the past. Shedescribed her visit to Kuwait at the head of an EPdelegation in December as ‘very interesting’. Alliot-Marie noted that she met His Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and othertop officials of the government during her four-dayvisit to Kuwait. “It was a very warm welcome andinteresting visit. The European Parliament has verygood relationship with Kuwait,” she added. — KUNA

Kuwait playsspecial regionalrole: Euro MP

His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meetswith the newly-appointed Iranian Ambassador to Kuwait Mohammad Irani.

Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah meets with Oman’s Foreign Minister Yousef bin Alawi bin Abdullah.

His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah meets with Deputy Chairman of the Kuwaiti-Saudi ParliamentaryFriendship Committee Dr Ahmad bin Mohammad Al-Ghamdi.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with Minister Responsible forForeign Affairs in Oman Yousef bin Alawi bin Abdullah. — Amiri Diwan and KUNA photos

His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with the newly-appointedAmbassador of Armenia to Kuwait Sarmen Baghdasaryan.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabahreceived at Bayan Palace yesterday DeputyPrime Minister and Foreign Minister SheikhSabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah,accompanied with Minister Responsible forForeign Affairs in Oman Yousef bin Alawibin Abdullah and the Gulf CooperationCouncil (GCC) Secretary General DrAbdullatif bin Rashed Al-Zayani on theoccasion of their visit to the country. Themeeting was attended by Minister of Amiri

Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled later met with

his Omani counterpart, with the atten-dance of Zayani. During the meeting,Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled praised Oman’srole in promoting the GCC and affirmedKuwait’s support for the Sultanate duringits presidency of the current session of theGCC. Meanwhile, the Omani minister laud-ed the role of Kuwait in various fields dur-ing its presidency of the GCC last year.The meeting was also attended by Kuwaiti

Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled SuleimanAl-Jarallah and Foreign Ministry seniorofficials.

Earlier yesterday, His Highness the Amirreceived His Highness the Crown PrinceSheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, National Assembly SpeakerMarzouq Ali Al-Ghanem and His Highnessthe Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, while HisHighness the Crown Prince receivedGhanem, His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-

Mubarak, as well as Deputy Premier andInterior Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-JarrahAl-Sabah.

His Highness Sheikh Nawaf thenreceived the newly-appointed Ambassadorof Armenia to Kuwait SarmenBaghdasaryan on the occasion of assuminghis new post in Kuwait. He later receivednewly-appointed Iranian Ambassador toKuwait Mohammad Irani on the occasion ofassuming his new post in Kuwait. The audi-ences were attended by head of the proto-

cols of Diwan of His Highness the CrownPrince Sheikh Mubarak Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah.

In the meantime, His Highness the PrimeMinister received Deputy Chairman of theKuwaiti-Saudi Parliamentary FriendshipCommittee Dr Ahmad bin Mohammad Al-Ghamdi and delegation accompanying himon the occasion of their visit to the country.The meeting was attended by head of theaccompanying honorary mission MP RakanYousef Al-Nisf. — KUNA

VATICAN CITY: Vatican Pope Francis expressedbest wishes for a prosperous and peaceful New Yearto the Kuwaiti leadership, headed by His Highnessthe Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-JaberAl-Sabah, and the people of Kuwait. This salutationcame during Pope Francis’s reception of KuwaitiAmbassador to Switzerland and the non-residentAmbassador to the Vatican Bader Al-Tanaib.

Ambassador Tanaib was among other diplomatsand Ambassadors visiting the Vatican to meet thePope during an annual reception. During the event,Pope Francis called for spreading peace and good-will throughout the world and avoid any action thatwould lead to hate and conflicts. The Pope alsocalled on the international community to find meansto end various global crises and focus on welfare anddevelopment to all mankind.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Tanaib said that hewould convey special greetings from the Pope to HisHighness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-JaberAl-Sabah. The Kuwaiti diplomat also wished theKuwaiti leadership and people ever more progressand success during the New Year. —KUNA

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis receives the KuwaitiAmbassador to Switzerland and non-residentAmbassador to the Vatican Bader Al-Tanaib. — KUNA

Pope sendsbest New Year’swishes to Kuwait

Michele Alliot-Marie

KUWAIT: Red Crescent Society (KRCS) Chairman DrHilal Al-Sayer confirmed yesterday the pioneering roleof the KRCS in humanitarian and charitable field, andefforts made in responding to rescue calls from allover the world. On the occasion of celebrating the53rd anniversary of establishing Kuwait Red CrescentSociety, which falls today, Dr Sayer said that the char-ity has taken the pardon of delivering the needed helpfor all people around the world who suffer from harshconditions.

In a statement to the press, he noted that the societytook the responsibility of enhancing Volunteer workand encouraging humanitarian initiatives, which had aprofound impact on human development in weak soci-eties and marginalized areas. He expressed the appre-ciation of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the honorary president ofKRCS, who played a major role in making Kuwait RedCrescent Society one of the top international humani-tarian organizations.

Kuwait Red Crescent Society has won many recordsin responding to humanitarian relief of the Rohingya,Bangladesh, Philippines, Syria, Palestine, Yemen, Iraq,Sudan, Somalia, India, and Indonesia, he noted. KRCSworked on too many quality projects resulted in posi-tive impacts on people in the field of education, medi-cine, and society.

Locally, Dr Sayer praised efforts done by KRCS inactivating its role to support the different State bodiesand administrations in dealing with crises and naturaldisasters, pointing to the help presented to Kuwait’scitizens and residents during heavy rains witnessed inKuwait last November. The society also offered medicalhelp for resident patients in need, as well as helpingneedy families inside Kuwait, connecting with social

care institutions, and visiting patients in hospitals. Hepointed out that the KRCS is always in a continuousdevelopment and progress that contributed to raisingthe name of Kuwait and its reputation in variousregional and international forums. — KUNA

Red Crescent Society marks53rd anniversary


3

12th Arab Robotics Championshipkicked off at Kuwait University

125 teams representing 10 Arab countries compete in major eventBy Faten Omar

KUWAIT: Under the patronage ofEducation Minister Hamed Al-Azmi, the 12thArab Robotics Championship (ARC) kickedoff on Tuesday at Kuwait University. TheSabah Al-Ahmad Center for Talent andCreativity, which is affiliated to the KuwaitFoundation for the Advancement of Sciences(KFAS), is hosting the championship incooperation with the Arab Robotics Societyfrom January 8 to 10, 2019.

Abeer Al-Amiri, head of the champi-onship, told Kuwait Times that this champi-onship started in Kuwait and is consideredas the strongest technological champi-onship that features 125 teams representing10 Arab countries. The teams include about350 competitors. “Educational computersand robots have become key modern meth-ods used in education that helped teachersbe innovative. Keeping pace with the latest

scientific developments and functioningtechnology are the most important featuresof the ministry’s policy,” she pointed out.

During the opening ceremony of ARC,representing Education Minister HamedAl-Azmi, the ministry’s undersecretary foreducational development and activity sec-tor Faisal Al-Meqseed said the educationministry has been eager to implement thelatest technologies in the educationalprocess, mainly robotics. “Robotics is adevelopment in the artificial intelligencetechnology field that has become a keypart of education curricula in most devel-oped countries,” he said.

Robotics is widespread in many educa-tional processes across the globe, as it pro-vides several potentials for the educationsector, Azmi said. Hosting this event is asource of pride and gives a positive mes-sage on Kuwait’s status in such fields, headded. Kuwait is a leading country is terms

of hosting and organizing such champi-onships, which serve the educationalprocess, he affirmed. He said that the min-istry has paid much attention to scientificaspects which lead to further development.

Director General of the Kuwait

Foundation for the Advancement ofSciences (KFAS) Adnan Shehab El-Din saidin a speech during the ceremony that thehosting of this event is part of Kuwait’skeenness on disseminating scientific aware-ness and the culture of innovation to all

segments of the society. “This also showsKuwait’s faith that AI has become one ofthe most developed technological fields,” hesaid, adding that it could be increasinglyused in the auto industry as well as medicaland military domains.

KUWAIT: A group photo of participants during the opening ceremony of the 12th Arab Robotics Championship (ARC). — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Faisal Al-MeqseedAbeer Al-Amiri Adnan Shehab El-Din.

Children prepare their robots. Participants from Lebanon examine their robot. Participants from Jordan.

A robot is being examined during the competition. Two participants prepare their robots for a competition. Robots are being prepared for a competition.

Participants react during a competition. A participant operates his robot during a competition. A participant carries her robot.

Thursday, January 10, 2019

4L o c a l

KUWAIT: Kuwait Proteins Company recently announcedparticipating as a Golden sponsor in the Horeca Kuwait2019 exhibition, which is set to be organized by LeadersGroup in collaboration with Hospitality Services Companyat Kuwait International Fairground in Mishref in the periodof January 14-16, 2019. In this regard, the company’s

deputy board chairman SaudFauzan Al-Fauzan indicatedthat taking part in Horeca2019 reflects the company’skeenness on searching for thelatest in hospitality, food, andhotel equipment industrieswhich it had been active insince its establishment in 1982.He added that Kuwait ProteinsCompany provides the world’sbest trademark products,adding that it is always seekscustomers’ satisfaction byadding new brands.

Fauzan stressed thatKuwait Proteins Company always works on improving itsdisplay methods and introduces its products on all possibleoccasions including Horeca Kuwait, which would witnessseveral surprises this year. Notably Kuwait Proteins companyopened its own kitchen in 2018 to serve clients and thoseinterested in catering and hospitality through holding specialtraining courses. The company was also awarded the ISO-22000 quality award.

Kuwaiti ProteinsCompany joinsHoreca 2019

KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Minister of Statefor Youth Affairs Mohammad Al-Jabri said a galaxy ofKuwaitis have won the state orders of merit and incentiveawards for 2018. Jabri, also president of the NationalCouncil for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL), said thewinners are eminent cultural celebrities who deserveappreciation and support from the state. He was speakingon behalf of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh JaberMubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah during the award ceremonywhich was held as part of the inauguration of the 25thQurain Cultural Festival. The ceremony was held at Abdul-Hussein Abdul-Redha Theater on Tuesday.

The minister took pride in the care attached to all formsof cultural activities by the state’s political leaders on topof who are His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmadAl-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince SheikhNawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness thePrime Minister. “The winners are a group of Kuwaiti intel-lectuals who have made trailblazing and creative worksand contributed to the cultural and artistic movement inthe country and the march of enlightenment in the Arabregion,” he said. “Today’s awards reflect the care attachedby the state to the cultural movement and the role of thenew generation in the development and progress of thecountry,” the minister pointed out. He appreciated theefforts made by members of the jury of the festival andtheir contributions to the cultural movement over the last25 years, which made the festival one of the leading cultur-al events on the regional and international scales. He addedthat the organizers of the festival have always been keenon fostering the new generation of creative youth out ofrecognition of their roles in the future of the nation.

Meanwhile, Waleed Al-Rujaib, a novelist and one of the

winners of the state orders of merit, said the offering of thestate awards has become one of the main annual activitiesof the NCCAL and a source of pride for all Kuwaitis.Speaking on behalf of the laureates, Rujaib said that theQurain festival plays a central role in the cultural move-ment and materializes commitment to Article 14 of theConstitution that stipulates the state care for arts, letters

and sciences. “In its Article 36, the constitution also pro-vides for freedom of opinion which is key to culturalenlightenment and thriving scientific research,” the emi-nent writer pointed out. “Today’s state awards put thewinners in front of a great responsibility and a challenge tocontinue their innovative roles in serving the society andcontributing to the progress of the country,” Rujaib added.

The other winners of the state orders of merit areAbdullatif Al-Bannay - a musician, and Khaled Al-Shaijiwho the state award for cultural services. The incentiveawards were given to artist Jaber Mukhtar for his painting‘victims of poverty and starvation,’ actor Hussein Hameed

for his role in ‘immortal memories’ TV series. Stage direc-tor Faisal Al-Amiri won an award for ‘echo of silence’ play,composer Mishaal Jomaa and poet Mison Al-Suwaidanwere also awarded while novelists Mona Al-Shimmeri andBassam Al-Musallam shared the novel award. The award of

literary, critical and linguistic studies was given to Dr SoadAl-Daas while Sabah Al-Rayyes and Aisha Al-Adsanishared the social and humanitarian studies award. Theeducation award was given to Dr Mohammad Al-Qaderiand that of geography to Dr Ali Al-Dosari. — KUNA

Minister lauds achievementsof state award laureates

25th Qurain Cultural Festival inaugurated at Abdul-Hussein Abdul-Redha Theater

Awards‘source of

pride’ for allKuwaitis

Saud Al-Fauzan

KUWAIT: A group photo of Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Mohammad Al-Jabri with winners of Kuwait state orders of merit and incentive awards for 2018. — KUNA

DGCA signs agreementwith IATA to promoteaviation standardsKUWAIT: Kuwait’s Directorate General of CivilAviation (DGCA) signed yesterday a memorandum ofunderstanding (MoU) with the International AirTransport Association (IATA) to strengthen coopera-tion and consolidate efforts to enhance levels of civilaviation. DGCA Chairman Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah told reporters that the DGCA strives toconsolidate its joint cooperation with internationalorganizations specializing in civil aviation and air trans-port to benefit from their expertise and to boost thenational cadres.

Meanwhile, DGCA’s Director General Yousef Al-Fawzan and IATA’s Vice President for Africa and theMiddle East Mohammed Al-Bakri signed the agree-ment. The ceremony was attended by DGCA’s PresidentSheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabahand IATA President Alexandre de Juniac. Fawzan saidon the sidelines of the signing of the memorandum atthe headquarters of the Kuwait International Airportthat the signing of this memorandum is a continuationand activation of the comprehensive memorandum ofunderstanding signed between the two parties at theheadquarters of the Executive Office of (IATA) inGeneva last October.

He explained that the new agreement aims toexchange information, experiences and best practices inthe field of aviation safety, including the adoption oftwo evaluation programs for IATA.

The first program was an Operational Safety Auditprogram that is an internationally recognized andaccepted evaluation system designed to assess theoperational management and control systems of an air-

line. The second program is IATA’s Safety Audit forGround Operations (ISAGO) which has been built upona “backbone” of audit standards applicable to all

ground handling companies worldwide, coupled with auniform set of standards relevant for the specific activi-ties of any ground handler. — KUNA

KUWAIT: DGCA’s Director General Yousef Al-Fawzan (right) and IATA’s Vice President for Africa and theMiddle East Mohammed Al-Bakri sign the agreement. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Taking advantage of the unusually moderate weather conditions at this time of the year, an increasing number of people are opting to buy roses and other decorative plants to use them in decorating their gardens, chaletsand camps, to create a beautiful and aesthetic atmosphere. Common species of plants such as marigolds, geraniums, Euphorbia and Bougainvillea are among the most popular items for buyers. — KUNA photos


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By A Saleh

KUWAIT: The Civil Service Commission (CSC) is the onlystate department supervising the implementation of theofficial seven-hour workday in the public sector with noexceptions for any government body, government insiderssaid. Any exemptions made due to certain circumstances orjob nature will open the doors for more exemptions in oth-er government bodies, said the sources who spoke on thecondition of anonymity. This would take things back tosquare one and lead to indifference and lack of commit-ment to attendance and work in government bodies, espe-cially since the process directly affects annual performanceevaluation and the payment of excellent performancebonuses, the sources remarked. Commenting on theMinistry of Electricity and Water (MEW) yielding toprotests and deciding not to comply with the official sev-en-hour workday, the sources stressed that CSC had notreceived any letters from MEW requesting exemption ofits employees from the new system. The sources addedthat once such a letter is received, it would be reviewed bythe Civil Service Council for its opinion, and not toapprove the exemption. The sources said that biometric

access control systems in 22 out of a total of 48 statedepartments have been linked with CSC’s integrated sys-tems program, adding that not being linked does not meanexempting the unlinked bodies from official working hours.

Labor regulationsWell-informed sources said that Minister of State for

Economic Affairs Mariam Al-Aqeel will soon meet with thePublic Authority for Manpower’s deputy directors toreview their sectors’ work plans for this year as well aslabor market regulations due to be announced soon. Thesources added that new resolutions will be reviewed bythe minister prior to approval and issuance, noting that thenew resolutions will help counter visa traffickers, fakecompanies and those recruiting expats and leaving themas marginal laborers in the local market.

Article 17 passportsThe directorate general of citizenship and passports

announced suspending the issue of article 17 passports fortwo weeks with exceptions for those needed to travel forstudy or medical treatment. In this regard, security sourcesjustified the suspension by the need to find a working team

that is more capable on dealing with accumulating appli-cations to accelerate the issuance process.

Cold waveMeteorologist Essa Ramadan forecast a temporary cold

wave to start today and last through the weekend, addingthat temperatures would be 1-4 degrees centigrade indesert areas and 6-9 degrees centigrade in urban areas atdawn. He also expected maximum temperatures to be 12-16 degrees before going back to normal by midweek.

Mutlaa cityMinister of Public Works and Minister of State for

Housing Affairs Jenan Bushehri urged the Cabinet toapprove contracting the second lowest bidder in the tenderof constructing, developing and maintaining roads andintersections serving Mutlaa city. Bushehri send a letter tothe Cabinet Secretary General Abdullatif Al-Roudhan aboutthe disagreement between the Public Authority for Roadsand Transportation (PART) and the State Audit Bureau con-cerning this particular tender. Meanwhile, informed sourcessaid many committees had been formed to investigate vari-ous roads tenders and projects, including gravel problems.

Work hours exemptions open door forsimilar demands in govt: Insiders

‘Exemption lead to indifference, lack of commitment to attendance’

The Civil Service Commission.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Farwaniya detectives arrested three Arabs onlyfour hours after they robbed a money exchange and stoleKD 32,500, the relations and security information depart-ment at the interior ministry said. Interior Ministry opera-tions received a call about a robbery in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh.The man who made the call said that he was robbed whiletaking the money from the exchange to his vehicle.Detectives worked on the case and identified one of the sus-pects and arrested him at his home. He confessed to commit-ting the robbery with two others, who were also arrestedand the clothes used during the robbery were found at theirresidence. The money was found buried in a nearby yard.Two of the suspects were also found wanted on other cases.

Co-op Society fireFahaheel fire station men led by Lt Col Ahmad Al-Ali

responded after a vehicle flipped over on Fahaheel road.An injured person was removed from the vehicle andhanded to paramedics. Meanwhile, fire broke out in arestaurant at Shuhada Co-op Society. Teams from Mishrefand Subhan fire stations responded, led by Major IbrahimAl-Mahasna, putting out the fire before it spread to nearbyinstallations.

False claimsThe interior ministry said social media claims about

approving a new form for driving licenses that will belaunched in a week are inaccurate, and an announcementwill be made when they are ready.

Police museumKuwait police museum statistics show that 3,462 per-

sons visited the museum during 2018, while the number ofstudents received was 1,879. The police museum is an his-torical site located in Bneid Al-Gar. It is open all daysexcept Sunday from 9 am to noon, and from 4 pm to 8 pm.

Municipality campaignFarwaniya municipality’s Jleeb cleanliness center

removed four truckloads of vegetables and fruits andissued citations to 16 roaming vendors, who were sent to

concerned authorities. Twenty cleanliness citations wereissued and the site was cleaned, director of the departmentSaad Al-Khrainej said.

KD 32,500thieves arrested

KUWAIT: This photo released by the Interior Ministry yes-terday shows cash found with three suspects who werearrested for stealing KD 32,500 from a money exchange.

InternationalN Korea’s Kim ends Beijing visit as Trump summit loomsSetbacks for May as MPs debate Brexit deal before historic vote

Page 8 Page 9

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

Established 1961

KHARTOUM: Supporters of Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir shout slogans as they gather during a rally for him in the Green Square in the capital Khartoum. — AFP

KHARTOUM: Hundreds of people gathered in Sudan’scapital yesterday in a show of support for PresidentOmar al-Bashir’s embattled regime, as riot police firedtear gas at protesters at a rival anti-government demon-stration. Hundreds of riot policemen, soldiers and secu-rity agents, some carrying machine guns, were deployedaround the site of the pro-Bashir rally in the capital’sGreen Yard, a large open ground in the city, an AFP cor-respondent reported.

Men, women and children carrying banners support-ing Bashir arrived in buses from early in the morning.The rally was the first held in Khartoum in support ofBashir since protests erupted. “This gathering sends amessage to those who think that Sudan will become likeother countries that have been destroyed,” Bashir told acheering crowd. “We will stop anyone who destroys ourproperties.”

In the initial protests that erupted on December 19 intowns and villages before spreading to Khartoum, sev-eral buildings of Bashir’s ruling National Congress Partywere torched. Angry demonstrators have taken to the

streets after a government decision to triple the price ofbread at a time when the country has been hit by anacute shortage of foreign currency and inflation of 70percent. Analysts have described the protests as thebiggest threat yet to Bashir’s regime.

Authorities say at least 19 people including twosecurity personnel have been killed during the demon-strations, but human rights group Human Rights Watchhas put the death toll at 40 that included children.Crowds chanting “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) and“Yes, Yes Bashir we will follow you” welcomed thepresident at the rally accompanied by his wife and agroup of ministers. As soon as Bashir arrived, mobilephone networks and the internet were shut down in andaround the rally site.

“Those who tried to destroy Sudan ...put conditionson us to solve our problems, but our dignity is morethan the price of dollars,” Bashir said in an apparent digat Washington that had imposed a trade embargo onKhartoum in 1997. The embargo was lifted in October2017. Sudanese officials including Bashir have regularly

blamed Washington’s embargo for the country’s eco-nomic woes.

Dressed in a khaki shirt and trousers and waving histrademark cane, a smiling Bashir greeted the cheeringcrowd as men and women whistled and waved flags.Bashir, who has ordered the police to use “less force” ondemonstrators, has blamed the violence during protestson conspirators without naming them.

“Those who conspired against us and planted traitorsamongst us are those who carried out arson attacks andcaused damage,” he told a group of soldiers on Tuesdayat an army base in the town of Atbara where the firstprotest erupted last month. “Some people are sayingthat the army is taking power,” Bashir said, slammingsome political groups who previously were with thegovernment but have now called for his resignation.

“I have no problem with that, because the armyalways guards the security of our homeland,” he saidwithout offering further details. Soon after the pro-Bashir rally ended, groups of protesters took to thestreet in Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum, for a

yet another anti-government demonstration. About 300protesters chanting “Freedom, Peace and Justice”blocked a key road in Omdurman, but were quicklyconfronted with tear gas as riot police moved in to dis-perse them.

More than 800 protesters have been arrested sincethe unrest began, officials say, insisting that the situationhas now stabilized even as protests rumble on.Opposition leaders, activists and journalists have beendetained as part of a crackdown to prevent protestsspreading. Britain, Canada, Norway and the UnitedStates reiterated their concern over the situation inSudan in a joint statement issued Tuesday.

“We urge the government of Sudan to ensure that afully transparent and independent investigation into thedeaths of protesters takes place as soon as possible, andthat those responsible are held to account,” the state-ment said. It also called on Khartoum to release all thosedetained without charge, warning that the government’saction in the issue “will have an impact” on engagementswith the governments of the four countries. —AFP

Crowds back Bashir at Sudan rally Police fire tear gas at rival anti-govt demonstration

India parliamentto OK jobsquota for lesswell-off NEW DELHI: India’s parliament will passa landmark bill reserving 10 percent of gov-ernment jobs for the less well-off, a movecriticized by some political analysts as apre-election “gimmick” amid high unem-ployment rates in the country. Joblessnessin the world’s second most populous coun-try shot up to a 15-month high last month,data from independent think-tank theCentre for Monitoring Indian Economy(CMIE) showed, underlining the biggestchallenge to Prime Minister NarendraModi’s bid to retain power in a generalelection due by May.

The data also showed that India lost asmany as 11 million jobs last year witharound 83 percent in rural areas, as opera-tional costs surged for small businessessince the launch of a national sales tax in2017 and an earlier ban on high value cur-

rency notes. Under the bill to amend theconstitution, floated by Modi’s party daysafter losing power in three heartland statesand ahead of a national election, recipientsmust be classed as “economically weak”.Only people with an annual income below800,000 rupees ($11,354) and owning few-er than five acres of land will be eligible.

The lower house of parliament hasalready passed the bill while almost all polit-ical parties have voiced their support for itin the upper house, meaning its approvalwas a formality. India already has job andeducation quotas for socially backwardclasses but this is the first time upper casteHindus and people from other religions willbenefit from any affirmative action.

“There is no food but every hungry manis handed an empty plate, that’s what Modigovernment is doing with the youth ofIndia,” Shahid Siddiqui, a political analystand a former lawmaker, said on Twitter.“There are no jobs, but 10 percent reserva-tion in the line of unemployed.”

Derek O’Brien, a lawmaker from theopposition All India Trinamool Congress,said the bill was “an acknowledgement ofguilt, that we haven’t created any jobs in lastfour and a half years”. But Modi said the bill“sets into motion the process to achieve aneffective measure that ensures justice for allsections of society”. — Reuters

Macedonia kicksoff fraught debateon controversialname changeSKOPJE: Macedonian lawmakers prepared yesterday to debatea motion to change their country’s name to settle a decades-longdispute with Greece and open the way to NATO and EU mem-bership. The switch to “the Republic of North Macedonia” is farfrom assured as it entails four constitutional amendments andrequires the support of two-thirds of the 120-member parliament.

The Social Democrat-led ruling coalition does not itself havethose numbers, but a top party official said they had “secured 80or more of the votes” needed to approve the name change. “Weexpect that vote will take place Friday,” Aleksandar Kiracovskitold journalists. If the change does go through, Athens has prom-ised to lift its veto on Skopje’s attempts to join NATO and theEuropean Union.

Greece has blocked that path since Macedonia broke awayfrom the former Yugoslavia in 1991 because, it says, the nameMacedonia should apply solely to its own northern province. Forthe Greeks, Macedonia evokes national pride as the cradle ofAlexander the Great’s ancient empire, a heritage that they guardjealously. The start of the parliamentary session was delayed toWednesday afternoon for procedural reasons.

Some 200 Macedonian nationalists opposed to the namechange as a surrender to Greek pressure staged a peaceful protestoutside parliament, rallied by a nationalist group calling itself“Tvrdokorni”, or the “Hardliners”. Leading figures in the opposi-tion rightwing VMRO-DPMNE party, which was in power until2017, are fighting the change in parliament and at street rallies.

An amnesty sweetener Although Macedonia’s consultative referendum in September

backed the name change with 90 percent of the vote, critics dis-missed the results as invalid given a voter turnout of under one-third of the electorate. “It is MPs’ turn now to voice their views,but I believe there will be a two-thirds majority in order to com-plete the process,” Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said earlierWednesday. Zaev does not have the required two-thirds parlia-mentary majority even with the support of his allies in the ethnic-Albanian parties.

They need some deputies from the VMRO-DPMNE to breakranks and back them, as happened at the parliamentary vote thatlaunched the process in November. On that occasion, theyreleased three nationalist deputies jailed for their role in an April2017 brawl in parliament, when several deputies, including Zaev,were assaulted. In December, the government sweetened the dealfurther, passing an amnesty law over the protests. Of the 25 peo-ple to benefit so far, four have been VMRO-DPMNE deputies.But even if Macedonia approves the name change, it must still becleared by the Greek parliament.

Zaev brokered the deal with Greek Prime Minister AlexisTsipras, but Tsipras too enjoys only a fragile parliamentary major-ity, with 153 deputies in the 300-seat parliament. To complicatematters further, coalition partner Defense Minister PanosKammenos, the leader of a smaller party, opposes the deal and isthreatening to resign.

The Hardliners’ curse While most deputies in Macedonia’s VMRO-DPMNE are

dead-set against the name change, the party was shaken by thedefections of some of their members in the November vote. Andthey are still recovering from the dramatic fall of their formerleader, Nikola Gruevski, a vocal opponent of Zaev’s deal withGreece. Former prime minister Gruevski fled Macedonia inNovember to escape a two-year prison sentence for abuse ofpower, winning asylum in Hungary. —AFP

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Thursday, January 10, 2019

7Established 1961

EU hits Iran with sanctions after murder plotsTHE HAGUE: The EU hit Iran’s intelligence services withsanctions Tuesday after accusing Tehran of being behindplots to assassinate regime opponents on Dutch, Danishand French soil. The move by the 28-nation bloc wasannounced as the Dutch government said it believed Iranwas behind the murders of two dissidents in 2015 and 2017.“Very encouraging that (the) EU has just agreed on newtargeted sanctions against Iran in response to hostile activ-ities and plots being planned and perpetrated in Europe,including Denmark,” Danish Prime Minister Lars LokkeRasmussen said.

The “EU stands united-such actions are unacceptableand must have consequences,” he tweeted. Sanctionsinclude the freezing of funds and other financial assets ofthe Iranian intelligence ministry and individuals, officialssaid. But Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarifpointed the finger at European nations he said were harbor-ing terrorists. “Accusing Iran does not release Europe fromits responsibility for hosting terrorists,” he said in a tweet.

More sanctions not ruled outDenmark led efforts for sanctions after allegations that

Tehran tried to kill three Iranian dissidents on Danish soil.A manhunt related to the alleged plot against three Iranianssuspected of belonging to the Arab Struggle Movement forthe Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA) led to the shutdown ofbridges to Sweden, as well as ferries, on September 28.France last year imposed sanctions on two suspected

Iranian agents and others from Iran’s intelligence and secu-rity ministry.

The French security services concluded that the head ofoperations at the Iranian intelligence ministry had ordereda plot to bomb a rally of the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran(MEK) opposition group in a suburb of Paris in June lastyear-which Tehran strongly denied. “When the sanctionswere announced, the Netherlands, together with the UnitedKingdom, France, Germany, Denmark and Belgium, metIranian authorities,” Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said.

The meeting conveyed “serious concerns regardingIran’s probable involvement in these hostile acts on EU ter-ritory,” Blok said in a letter to parliament in The Hague, alsosigned by Interior Minister Kajsa Ollongren. “Iran isexpected to cooperate fully in removing the present con-cerns and, where necessary, aiding in criminal investiga-tions,” the letter said. “If such cooperation is not forthcom-ing, further sanctions cannot be ruled out,” it added.

Nuclear dealThe EU has previously trodden cautiously on Iran as it

sought to save a beleaguered nuclear deal with Tehranafter the US withdrew last year and imposed new sanc-tions. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has madepressure on Iran a top priority, hailed the EU move as “aclear message that terrorism will not be tolerated.” “TheUS strongly supports the new sanctions and stands withour European allies as we counter this common threat,”Pompeo tweeted.

But Dutch ministers said that at a meeting with Iranianofficials “it was emphasised that the measures were notlinked” to the Iran nuclear deal. “Nevertheless, Iran will beheld to account for all matters that affect EU and interna-tional security interests” including the 2015 and 2017assassinations in the Netherlands, the letter said. Tehranblames the ASMLA for an attack on a military parade in

the Iranian city of Ahvaz on September 22, when militantssprayed the crowd with gunfire and killed 24 people. TheMEK, which has a history of attacks inside the Islamicrepublic, was considered a terrorist group until 2009 byEuropean authorities and until 2012 by the United States,where members of President Donald Trump’s administra-tion have had close ties with the movement. The MEK-linked National Council of Resistance of Iran called the EUsanctions “a positive, necessary but insufficient step” andcalled for the bloc to expel all of Tehran’s “agents” onEuropean soil.

“Three decades of experience show that the mullahsonly understand the language of firmness,” it said in astatement. Last June, the Netherlands expelled two Iranianembassy workers in connection with the murders. Tehran atthe time protested the expulsion as an “unfriendly anddestructive move” and threatened to retaliate.—AFP

JERUSALEM: An Israeli ex-minister charged withspying for the country’s arch-foe Iran has reached aplea bargain with prosecutors that will see him serve11 years in prison, the justice ministry said yesterday.As part of the agreement, Gonen Segev will pleadguilty to serious espionage and transfer of informa-tion to the enemy, the ministry said in a statement.Segev’s lawyers, Eli Zohar and Moshe Mazor, said ina statement that as part of the deal a charge of trea-son was dropped.

“Indeed Mr. Segev had contacts with Iranians,but his motive was not ‘to aid the enemy in time ofwar’ - treason. That is why that offence wasremoved, inter alia, from the amended indictment.“The amended charge sheet filed today and the pleabargain that was reached, returns this case to itsnatural and proper proportions,” the Hebrew-lan-guage statement said. A sentencing hearing was setfor February 11.

Closed-door trialThe trial of Segev, who served as energy and

infrastructure minister from 1995 to 1996, openedin July but was held behind closed doors in theJerusalem district court, with few details of theaccusations publ ic ly released. The original

charges, as published by the justice ministry, wereaiding an enemy in wartime, serious espionage,attempted serious espionage and passing informa-tion to the enemy.

The Shin Bet internal security service accusedhim in a statement at the time of providing Iran with“information related to the energy market, securitysites in Israel, buildings and officials in political andsecurity bodies, and more” while he was living inNigeria between 2012 and his arrest at Israel’s BenGurion airport in May 2018.

The Shin Bet said Segev had been in contact withIranian embassy officials in Nigeria and later he vis-ited the Islamic republic for meetings with his intelli-gence “handlers”. Segev served in the Labour gov-ernment of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin afterdefecting from the far right to cast the decisive votein favour of the Oslo II peace agreement with thePalestinians. He has previously served prison time oncriminal charges.

In 2004, he was charged with trying to smuggle30,000 ecstasy pills into Israel from the Netherlandsusing a diplomatic passport with a falsified expirydate. The following year, he admitted the charges aspart of a plea bargain. He has also been convicted ofattempted credit card fraud.—AFP

Segev to plead guilty to espionage, transfer of information to enemy

Israel ex-minister to get 11 years for spying for Iran

JERUSALEM: In this file photo Gonen Segev, center, a former Israeli cabinet minister indicted on suspi-cion of spying for Iran, is seen in court in Jerusalem. —AFP

THE HAGUE: Dutch minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok standsas he talks to journalists in the parliament in The Hague. —AFP

Stranded migrantsto disembark inMalta after EU deal reachedVALLETTA: Nearly 50 migrants strand-ed at sea for weeks aboard two rescueships were headed for Malta yesterdayafter the island nation reached a dealwith other EU member states, ending astandoff that rights groups branded“shameful”. “An ad hoc agreement hasbeen reached,” Malta Prime MinisterJoseph Muscat told journalists, addingthat the deal also included a decision onthe fate of 249 rescued migrants alreadyon the island.

The 49 migrants, including a baby andseveral children, were rescued by twoboats on December 22 and 29 whileattempting the dangerous Mediterraneancrossing from North Africa to Europe.But with no country allowing them todock, they were left stranded off thecoast of Malta, suffering sea sickness anddehydration, with some briefly refusingfood and an onboard doctor warning ofpsychological stress.

There were ecstatic cheers on boardthe Sea-Watch 3 when a crew membertold them “we have a safe port, it’s over”,according to a video tweeted by theGerman NGO Sea Watch International.The migrants were expected to arrive inMalta later Wednesday after being trans-ferred from the Sea-Watch 3 and Dutch-flagged Albrecht Penck ships to Maltesecoastguard vessels.

Muscat said that of the total of 298migrants, 176 would be sent to Germany,France, Portugal, Ireland, Romania,Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Italy.Another 78 will be allowed to stay inMalta, and 44 Bangladeshi migrants willbe sent back to their country.

‘Not Europe’s finest hour’ Those pulled to safety by the two res-

cue ships had been unable to disembark

because of a diplomatic deadlock amongEU member states, despite an appeal byPope Francis on Sunday. “The past weekshave not been Europe’s finest hour... Ifhuman values and solidarity are notupheld, then it is not Europe,” said EUmigration commissioner DimitrisAvramopoulos. Amnesty International’sSouthern Europe researcher Elisa DePieri said the time taken to reach a deci-sion on the migrants’ fate was “shameful”.

“The dangerous, unseemly spectacleof politicians bickering whilst women,men and children are stranded in a sea ofcruel indifference, must not be repeated,”she said. “The Italian and Malteseauthorities have brazenly undermined thesearch and rescue system and used peo-ple as pawns to negotiate migration poli-cies.” Muscat, who has previously com-plained that his country has to bear anunfair share of migrant numbers, insistedMalta had “never closed its ports and it isstill a safe port”.

“We wanted to send a strong politicalmessage that the burden must be sharedbecause it is a European issue... Everyhour that passed without a solution wasnot an hour I was proud of,” he said.

‘Confession of state failure’Sea Watch International welcomed

that “the EU decided to release their 49hostages. After 19 days at sea, our guestswill finally reach a safe port.” “This rep-resents a confession of state failure, poli-cy must not be made at the expense ofpeople in distress,” the NGO said. “Wewant to express our gratitude to... allcities, federal states and provinces thatdeclared their ports open and their will-ingness to welcome people.”

But Muscat issued a warning to futurerescuers: “I reiterate, as I did before, thatthis case shall not act as a precedent.”Migrants rescued by ships have fre-quently been left in limbo since Italy’spopulist anti-immigration governmentbegan turning them away last summer.Since coming to power more than sixmonths ago, the Italian government hasalso been demanding greater solidarityfrom reluctant fellow EU states.—AFP

Dozens of ‘hostages’ evacuated from SyriaALMATY, Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan yesterday saiddozens of its citizens, including children, had beenevacuated from Syria after being held “hostage” in thecountry. Hundreds of Kazakhs have left the Muslim-majority country to join up with militant groups in Syriasince 2011, according to Kazakhstan’s security services.“On January 6 this year... 47 citizens of Kazakhstan,including 30 children, were evacuated from Syria,”Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said.

“They were deceived into going to this country incrisis where they were held hostage by terrorists,”Nazarbayev said. “We will continue to work on thereturn of children who (were taken to) a combat zoneagainst their will,” he added, without providing detailsof the operation. In 2014, authorities reacted to an offi-cial Islamic State (IS) group propaganda video showingKazakh child soldiers training by blocking media out-lets that shared the footage. —AFP


8I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Suspect packages sent to diplomatic missions in Australia

MELBOURNE: Suspicious packages were sent tomore than a dozen foreign embassies and con-sulates in major Australian cities yesterday in aseemingly orchestrated but scattershot campaign.Emergency services raced to a string of diplomaticfacilities which had received packages containingsuspected hazardous material, all within the spaceof a few hours. There was no obvious pattern tocountries targeted, with consulates of the UnitedStates, China, Italy, India, Japan and New Zealandsuffering scares.

The packages were not believed to be danger-ous, but police, fire crews and forensic teams wereurged to use breathing apparatus as they docu-mented and double- or triple-bagged the materialsfor further testing. Victoria Police said there was nothreat to the public: “At this time we believe thematter is targeted and not impacting the generalcommunity.” Most of the sites-also including loca-tions near the Spanish, Swiss, Egyptian andPakistani consulates-were evacuated as a precau-tion but have since been declared safe.

A British High Commission spokesperson said itsconsulate general in Melbourne had been targeted,but “all our staff are safe and accounted for”. The USconsulate in the city said it had also received a “suspi-cious” package, which a spokesperson said was han-dled in coordination with police and the fire service.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs said ithad sent a note to all diplomatic missions in the capi-tal on Tuesday, “alerting them to the possibility ofsuspicious packages being delivered by mail”. Thatwarning was triggered after three earlier incidents atoffices in Sydney and Canberra. Local media onMonday reported that the Argentine consulate inSydney had received a package containing whitepowder. It did not test positive for toxins. —AFP

MELBOURNE: Victoria Police forensic officers remove a bagfrom the Italian consulate in Melbourne. —AFP

LONDON: British MPs yesterday began five days ofdebate ahead of a historic delayed vote on PrimeMinister Theresa May’s Brexit deal, a day after giv-ing her a stinging blow aimed at preventing thecountry from crashing out of the EU with no agree-ment. May’s attempts to win over MPs from NorthernIreland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), whichprops up her government in parliament but is firmlyopposed to the Brexit deal, were also rebuffed yes-terday.

The government said it would grant local lawmak-ers in Northern Ireland greater powers to block leg-islation if their province ever found itself in a con-tentious “backstop” arrangement to avoid a hardborder in Ireland. But DUP Brexit spokesman SammyWilson told Sky News that the proposals were “win-dow dressing” and that there would still have to bechecks between Northern Ireland and mainlandBritain in the event the backstop is enacted.

May faced another possible setback later yester-day as rebel Conservative MPs pushed for a votethat would force the government to reveal its planswithin three days if the Brexit deal is not approvednext Tuesday. Lawmakers next week will be votingon the agreement that May has negotiated with theEU over the last 18 months, which faces dauntingopposition as the clock ticks down before Britainleaves the European Union on March 29.

The prime minister has warned rebels in her ownparty that defeat will lead to a no-deal Brexit, or nodeparture from the bloc at all. But in a vote onTuesday that raised the chances of a defeat in nextweek’s historic vote, MPs including former ministersapproved an amendment that will curtail the govern-ment’s tax powers in case of a no-deal Brexit.

Brexit fantasiesDavid Lidington, May’s effective deputy, called the

House of Commons defeat “inconvenient” yet ineffectu-al and insisted the government remained focused onwinning approval for the prime minister’s plan. “We arefocused on getting any possible vote in favor of thePM’s deal,” he told BBC radio. “I don’t think the Britishpublic is served by fantasies about magical alternativedeals. “The choice the people have is this deal or nodeal, or-as some MPs advocate-to reverse the 2016referendum entirely.”

The prime minister has already pulled the vote oncewith defeat looming, and has said a loss for the govern-ment would plunge Britain into “uncharted territory”.She is still seeking assurances from the EU on the mostcontroversial elements of the Brexit deal relating toNorthern Ireland, in a bid to convince critics to backthe agreement. These assurances are set to be deliveredto lawmakers before they vote, although not beforethey start their debate yesterday. “The work to securethose assurances is ongoing. I think what’s important isthat if we are to secure assurances, MPs are aware ofwhat they are before the vote takes place,” a DowningStreet spokesman said Tuesday.

Brexit delayed? Some MPs would be in favor of a second referen-

dum but such a move would likely cause outrage amongBrexit voters and raise the issue of the framing of thequestion. The battle has reached fever pitch as thedeadline looms, with second referendum campaignerssetting up stalls at markets nationwide and Brexiteerstouring the country to persuade Britons they havenothing to fear from a clean break.

May insists Britain will leave the EU in March what-

ever happens, but there is growing talk of delaying thetwo-year Article 50 exit process to give her somebreathing space to get her deal agreed. An EU diplomattold AFP on Tuesday that “we are convinced thatTheresa May will request a postponement after theagreement is rejected in the British parliament.”

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay denied reportsabout a possible delay, saying “there are people in the

European Union who are discussing this issue, but thatis not the position of the UK government.” The primeminister survived a half-hearted attempt by her party tooust her before Christmas, but the level of rebellion hasleft her weakened. The main opposition Labor Party onWednesday confirmed it will seek a no confidence votein the government if MPs reject May’s Brexit deal nextweek.—AFP

May’s attempts to win over Northern Ireland’s DUP MPs

Setbacks for May as MPs debate Brexit deal before historic vote

LONDON: A video grab from footage broadcast by the UK Parliament’s Parliamentary Recording Unit(PRU) Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May as she stands and speaks during the weekly PrimeMinister’s Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons in London. —AFP

Guatemala shutsdown UN anti-corruptionprobeGUATEMALA CITY: Guatemala brushedaside protests from the United Nationsand pressed ahead Tuesday with shuttingdown a UN anti-corruption mission in theCentral American country after it beganinvestigating President Jimmy Morales.The move, communicated on Monday tothe world body in New York byGuatemalan Foreign Minister SandraJovel, has racked up tensions in the coun-try, where civil organizations have threat-ened anti-government protests.

Jovel gave UN Secretary-GeneralAntonio Guterres 24 hours’ notice onMonday that Morales was terminating themandate of the International CommissionAgainst Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).The UN chief said he “strongly” rejectedthe decision, insisting the governmentabide by an international agreement inplace since 2007. Staff of the mission hadbegun implementing a contingency planto leave the country, a Commissionspokesman said.

“We’ve launched a contingency planand international personnel have beenasked to leave the country until furthernotice,” said spokesman Matias Ponce.Images on social media showed vehiclesentering the Commission’s headquartersin the capital and leaving with materialsand office furniture, while a crowd wavedGuatemalan flags and set off firecrackersin celebration.

Army spokesman Oscar Perez saidsecurity guards at the headquarters wouldbe asked to hand over their firearms fromWednesday. Business leaders and right-wing groups backed Morales’s decision ina statement, slamming the UN mission for“a serious lack of due process” and insist-ing the move was constitutional. However,outraged humanitarian, indigenous anduniversity organizations called on thegovernment to reverse the decision. USSenator Mike Lee, a Republican fromOhio, also came out in support of thedecision and slammed “violations” by theCICIG. “A nation’s sovereignty is the coreof its freedom,” Lee said in a tweet.“Guatemala has every right to speak upand defend violations of sovereignty andabuses committed by the InternationalCommission against Impunity inGuatemala.”

The Guatemala Immortal group urgedthe population to support Morales’s deci-sion, saying the CICIG had been “takingover the justice system.” Rigoberta

Menchu, who won the Nobel Peace Prizein 1992, said Morales’s unilateral decisionwas “one more sign of progressive institu-tional breakdown,” as well as of the ruleof law. Menchu praised the work of theUN mission, saying it had “contributedsignificantly to the fight against corrup-tion and impunity and strengthened thesystem of justice and democracy inGuatemala.”

Guatemalan officials sought to bar a

Colombian investigator for the missionfrom entering the country over the week-end, and had a lengthy confrontation withthe mission leader, Colombian prosecutorIvan Velasquez, who Morales has repeat-edly tried to expel from the country. Thecommission has typically gone after high-level officials and corporate executives,including Morales’s son and brother, whowere charged with tax evasion and mon-ey laundering in 2016. —AFP

GUATEMALA CITY: People protest against the United Nations InternationalCommission Against Impunity, CICIG, in Guatemala City. —AFP

US Dems introduce gun background check billWASHINGTON: Democrats unveiled land-mark gun safety legislation Tuesday five daysafter regaining the US House majority, seek-ing swift action on a measure to expandbackground checks on firearm sales. A simi-lar bill was introduced last year byDemocrats, but Republican leaders declinedto bring it to a vote. The new bill-which hasthe backing of former congresswomanGabrielle Giffords, who survived being shotin the head eight years ago to the day and isnow one of the nation’s leading gun controladvocates-has a handful of Republican co-sponsors, and is likely to pass the chamber.

But it is not expected to advance in theSenate, which is under Republican control.Giffords joined House Speaker Nancy Pelosiand congressman Mike Thompson, whoheads a Democratic task force on gun vio-lence, in introducing the bill, calling for“courage” among lawmakers. “Now is thetime to come together, be responsible.Democrats, Republicans, everyone,” she said.“We must never stop fighting.”

Pelosi said that by introducing the legisla-tion early in the new congressional session,Democrats are saying “enough is enough, byfinally bringing commonsense bipartisanbackground check legislation to the floor.”Thompson said nearly 250,000 Americanshave died from gun violence, including sui-cides, since the Giffords shooting in 2011, “allthe time while Congress stood by and didnothing.” “But today is a new day,” he said,adding that the vast majority of Americanssupport the measures.

The bill would expand backgroundchecks to all gun sales, closing loopholes infederal law requiring criminal backgroundchecks when firearms are sold by licenseddealers but allowing private citizens to selland transfer guns to one another withoutany background check. Democrats havesavaged congressional Republicans forrepeatedly failing to take action to preventgun violence after tragedies like the SandyHook elementary school shooting inConnecticut in 2012, or the massacre at aLas Vegas concert in October 2017.

After a murderous rampage at a Floridahigh school last February left 17 studentsand staff dead, some Democratic congres-sional candidates campaigned on pledges toenact gun safety reform. One of them,Georgia’s Lucy McBath, whose son was

murdered in 2012, won a congressional seatin November’s election. “By closing theseloopholes and expanding backgroundchecks, we will make our communitiessafer,” she said.

“States that have already expandedbackground checks have lowered their

homicide rates, their murder rates and theirgun trafficking.” Last month, PresidentDonald Trump’s administration moved toban bump stocks, devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire like machineguns and that were used in the Las Vegasshooting.—AFP

WASHINGTON: Former US Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in thehead in 2011, speaks at a press conference to introduce legislation on expand-ing background checks for gun sales at the Capitol in Washington, DC. —AFP

New York announces $100 million universal health care planNEW YORK: New York Mayor Bill de Blasioannounced Tuesday the city would spend $100 mil-lion to guarantee health care to all its residentsregardless of their immigration status or their abili-

ty to pay, bringing coverage to 600,000 uninsuredpeople. The plan will strengthen the city’s existingpublic health insurance option, MetroPlus, and cre-ate a new program called NYC Care that guaran-tees those who are ineligible for insurance haveaccess to services, including primary care and spe-cialist doctors, pharmacies, mental health and sub-stance abuse programs.

NYC Care is set to launch later this year in theBronx borough, becoming available across the entirecity by 2021, according to a statement. The project is

expected to cost at least $100 million a year when itachieves its full scale. “Health care is a right, not aprivilege reserved for those who can afford it,” saidthe mayor, who has tracked hard to the left followingthe election of President Donald Trump.

“While the federal government works to guthealth care for millions of Americans, New YorkCity is leading the way by guaranteeing that everyNew Yorker has access to quality, comprehensiveaccess to care.” Trump made reversing formerpresident Barack Obama’s health care law a key

pledge of his campaign, and his Republican partysuccessfully repealed in 2017 a key provisionintended to keep overall costs down by ensuringhealthy individuals bought insurance.

De Blasio’s office credited the law, informallyknown as Obamacare, with bringing the number ofuninsured Americans down to nearly half of what itwas in 2013. In his inaugural speech on Monday,California’s new Democratic Governor GavinNewsom announced plans to establish a similarprogram to the one unveiled by New York.—AFP

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Thursday, January 10, 2019

9

N Korea’s Kim ends Beijing visit as Trump summit looms

Kim tours factory operated by medicine firm TongrentangBEIJING: Kim Jong Un’s train left Beijing yesterday afterthe North Korean leader visited his key ally on a tripseen as a strategy session ahead of his expected summitwith Donald Trump. Kim arrived in Beijing on Tuesday forhis fourth visit to Pyongyang’s sole major diplomaticfriend, meeting President Xi Jinping and reportedly visit-ing a factory. The North Korean leader’s motorcade wasspotted entering the Beijing central railway station yes-terday afternoon, and the train departed shortly after ona day-long ride back to the northeast border, accordingto AFP journalists.

The unannounced trip was largely shrouded in secrecy.Beyond confirming his presence in Beijing, no details havebeen provided by either North Korea or China on hisschedule, with no coverage in state media even in thenightly news broadcast hours after the train’s departure.Kim met for one hour with Chinese President Xi Jinping onTuesday-believed to be the North Korean leader’s birth-day-and the two later dined with their wives at Beijing’sGreat Hall of the People, according to South Korea’sYonhap news agency.

“Chairman Kim Jong Un’s visit to China was at the invi-tation of President Xi Jinping, of course President Xiwould hold meetings and talks with him,” Chinese foreignministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regular press brief-ing, adding that more details would be released later.Tuesday’s meeting focused on Kim’s expected meetingwith Trump, according to Yonhap. In a New Year speech,Kim warned that Pyongyang may change its approach tonuclear talks if Washington persists with sanctions.

Relations between China and North Korea had deterio-rated in recent years over Pyongyang’s nuclear activities,but Kim has made sure to keep Xi informed about hisdealings with the United States and South Korea as tiesappear to have warmed. “In order to resist the high pres-sure of the US, he must communicate with Xi in advance tosee what steps he can take to deal with Trump,” Beijing-based independent political commentator Hua Po said.

“Kim needs the support of Xi so as to ask the US to

make substantial steps, such as providing assistance toNorth Korea and normalizing relations with North Korea.”Kim chose China for his maiden official trip abroad lastyear before holding meetings with South Korean PresidentMoon Jae-in and Trump. The American leader said Sundaythat the United States and North Korea are negotiatingthe location of their next summit.

Discussions between the US and North Korea overPyongyang’s nuclear arsenal have stalled since Kim andTrump’s high-profile summit in Singapore in June wherethey issued a vaguely worded declaration about denu-clearization. The US insists that UN sanctions must remainin place until North Korea gives up its weapons, whilePyongyang wants them immediately eased. China alsowants the sanctions to be relaxed.

Turning pointBut Chinese officials also likely want to impress on

Kim-who has so far pursued only limited reforms to hisstatist economy-the benefits the giant Communist countryhas enjoyed in its transformation from impoverished nationto economic powerhouse. Yonhap, citing unidentifiedsources, reported that Kim toured a factory operated bymedicine firm Tongrentang for about half an hour in aneconomic zone in the Chinese capital.

He then went to the Beijing Hotel, where he was expect-ed to have lunch with Xi before his departure. “For NorthKorea itself, 2019 is his strategic turning point. If he wantsto shift his focus to the development of the economy, heneeds China’s cooperation,” said Lu Chao, a North Koreaexpert at China’s Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.

In the New Year speech, Kim focused on North Korea’smoribund economy, saying that improving people’s liveswas his top priority and tackling energy shortages was anurgent task. Beijing-based analyst Hua said changes in theeconomic model will affect politics, “which poses newchallenges to his control over the country.” “For this point,he must ask for advice from China.” The visit coincidedwith negotiations between US and Chinese officials in

Beijing to resolve a bruising trade war between the world’stwo biggest economies. Some analysts say China could useits cooperation on the North Korean issue as a bargainingchip in the US trade talks. But Hua said Kim’s visit would

have a “limited” effect on the trade negotiations. “TheSino-US trade negotiations are a matter between Chinaand the US,” he said. “The weight of North Korea is limit-ed and cannot play a decisive role.” — AFP

New Myanmar unrest panics Rohingya in border limboBANDARBAN, Bangladesh: Panic is grip-ping thousands of Rohingya Muslimrefugees living in no-man’s land on theMyanmar-Bangladesh border, with dailyclashes between Myanmar security forcesand ethnic Rakhine insurgents. Hundreds ofthousands of Rohingya Muslims have fledMyanmar since a military crackdown start-ed in 2017 — most to sprawling refugeecamps in Bangladesh-but many have beenliving in limbo on the border, unwilling toenter the camps or return home.

They are now caught on the sidelinesof fighting between Myanmar troops andthe Arakan Army, a militant group seekingmore autonomy for western Rakhinestate’s Buddhist-majority population.“Heavy fighting is going on between thegovernment troops and Arakan Armyinside Myanmar,” Rohingya leader DilMohammad told AFP. “The situation isvery tense,” he said, adding the securitybuild-up and daily gunfire had created

“panic”. Myanmar troops last week set upsecurity camps and bunkers along theborder after fighting saw 13 police killed.Some of the fortifications are directlyadjacent to a border fence running along-side a stream, and overlook shacks erect-ed by an estimated 4,500 displacedMuslims living in the narrow strip of land.Refugee community leader Nur Alam saidgunfire could frequently be heard afterdark on the other side of the border.

“Every night it is close by. The Myanmarborder guard have set up 10 new postsnear our camp. It’s very intimidating,” hetold AFP. In a statement issued Wednesday,the United Nations said it was “deeply con-cerned” about the situation in the area. ABangladesh official said they were aware ofthe border tensions. “We will talk to therelevant authorities to discuss what to do,”local administrator Kamal Hossain said.

Rohingya in Buddhist-majorityMyanmar have suffered decades of perse-cution. Impoverished western Rakhinestate in particular is scarred by deep ethnicand religious hatred. Refugees pouringinto Bangladesh have detailed mass killings,arson and rape at the hands of Myanmartroops and Buddhist mobs. Myanmar hasdenied any wrongdoing, saying it wasdefending itself against Rohingya militantswho attacked police posts. The UnitedNations has called for a genocide investi-gation into the crackdown.—AFP

Diplomatic envoys from 12 countries visit XinjiangURUMQI: Diplomatic envoys from 12 coun-tries witnessed the social and economicprogress in northwest China’s Xinjiang UygurAutonomous Region on a tour from Dec. 28 to30 in 2018. The regional government inviteddiplomatic envoys as well as representativesof diplomatic envoys from Russia,Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan,Tajikistan, India, Pakistan, Indonesia,Malaysia, Afghanistan, Thailand, and Kuwait.

The diplomatic envoys visited local mar-kets, farmers, educational institutes, mosques,factories, as well as vocational education andtraining centers. Throughout the trip, theyinteracted with local vendors, students, andworkers in Xinjiang and learned about theregion’s progress in maintaining social stabili-ty, improving people’s livelihood and develop-ing local economy. They said they expected tocooperate with China’s Xinjiang in the fieldsof culture, tourism, economy and trade.

At the Grand Bazaar in the regional capitalUrumqi, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Charged’Affaires of the Pakistani Embassy in China,said Xinjiang’s cultural vitality and people’shospitality had impressed her deeply. APakistani businessman at the Bazaar told

Baloch that he married a local Uygur womanand is happy with his life and work in Urumqi.

At the Xinjiang Islamic Institute, whichoffers three-year bachelor programs and reli-gious training, Ambassador of Kuwait to ChinaSameeh Johar Hayat encouraged the studentsto learn more and contribute what they learnto the development of their country.

In Kashgar, the diplomatic envoys also vis-ited a local economic development zone.

Upon seeing the wide variety of importedproducts from Europe, Central Asia, andSoutheast Asia in the zone, Piriya Khempon,ambassador of Thailand to China, said the triphad deepened his understanding of the Beltand Road Initiative, which he said is veryimportant to Kashgar’s development.

Khempon said he believed the city isbound to become a lot better in the comingyears thanks to its geographical advantage.The diplomatic envoys also visited Id KahMosque in Kashgar, the largest mosque inXinjiang, and were briefed on the mosque andits facility improvements. Mohammed HosnieShahiran Ismail, Counselor of the MalaysianEmbassy in China, said, through the tour, hesees that the Chinese government attachesgreat importance to religious freedom, andreligious activities are protected by the state.

The trip refreshed his understanding ofXinjiang, he said, adding the region is differ-ent from what Western media has portrayed.At a vocational education and training centerin Kashgar, students study ethnic instruments,calligraphy, painting, law, and many otherskills. The envoys asked in detail about the

students’ life in the center and played pingpong and basketball with them.

Ambassador of Indonesia to ChinaDjauhari Oratmangun said the school had lefta great impression on him and that studentslearn not only about law and skills, but alsotheir own culture. At another vocational train-ing center in Hotan, Kabaziyev Manarbek,Counselor of the Kazakhstan Embassy inChina, received an oil painting created by astudent who has studied art for half a year inthe center, as a New Year gift.

Manarbek said students master vocationalskills here through training and make a livingwith these skills later in life; it shows that theChinese government truly cares about thesetrainees. The envoys also visited a clothingfactory in Hotan, where villagers who havereceived training work on the assembly lines.According to the factory owner, they receivea monthly salary of more than 3,000 yuan.

People are busy studying and working here,very different from the past when people wereoften seen idling around without much to do,said Sayed Habiburahman Husinpur, Charged’Affaires of the Afghanistan Embassy inChina who has visited Xinjiang many times.

The vocational education and training pro-gram is a suitable arrangement that hasimproved the lives of many people as well astheir families, Husinpur said.

Many countries face issues such as “solv-ing unemployment and de-extremism,” butthe programs in Xinjiang are reaping goodresults and can provide reference for othercountries. — Xinhua

BEIJIN: A vehicle in the motorcade of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seen in Beijing. — AFP


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Escape casts new focus on women’s rights

ASaudi teen’s live-tweeted asylum plea hascast a renewed spotlight on women’s rightsjust months after women won the right to

drive, and sparked rare criticism of restrictive“guardianship” laws - from men. Rahaf MohammedAl-Qunun, 18, arrived in Thailand at the weekendafter fleeing what she called an abusive family inthe deeply conservative kingdom and staved offdeportation after her tweets drew global attention.Qunun’s impassioned cry for help set off a mediafrenzy, prompting angry denunciations and deaththreats from many in a kingdom where guardian-ship laws are still widely supported.

But the incident sparked a rare online debate asseveral young Saudis - including men - imploredauthorities to dismantle the guardianship system.Seen as a form of gender apartheid, the systemmeans Saudi women are often only as free as theirmale “guardians” - husband, father and other malerelatives - allow them to be. The men in their liveshave to give formal permission for the women tostudy, get married or even renew their passports.

“Guardianship gives men the ultimate authorityover women,” a young Saudi medical student namedBandar said in a video monologue posted onTwitter. “He can control her, slap her, beat her, dowhatever he wants and no (government) agency canstop him. This is causing women to dream about liv-ing elsewhere, away from where they were born andraised. Why? Because living here suffocates them.”

As tweets by Qunun, now in the care of a UNrefugee agency in Thailand, went viral, a new hash-tag gained traction in Saudi Arabia: “Dropguardianship or all of us will migrate”. “Saudi soci-ety, in general, has utterly failed to come to termswith the reality that women have an equal desirefor self-actualization,” tweeted another Saudi man,Ahmad Nasser Al-Shathri. “The notion that awomen’s innate desire is to be a homemaker is crip-pling our societal growth.”

‘Repressive’ system The backlash follows a wide-ranging liberaliza-

tion drive spearheaded by Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman that is aimed at transform-ing the conservative petro-state, long criticized forits treatment of women. His reforms include themuch-celebrated decision overturning the world’sonly ban on female motorists last June, allowingwomen to attend football games alongside men andtake on jobs that once fell outside the narrow con-fines of traditional gender roles.

Catalysed in large measure by what experts calleconomic pain owing to a drop in oil prices, thereforms have introduced a series of firsts in theSaudi labor market, where women have a minisculepresence. In recent months, Saudi media has cham-pioned the first woman restaurant chef, first womannews anchor and even the first woman racing driv-er. For the first time, women are seen alongside menin music concerts and social gatherings, amid thewaning influence of the once-feared religiouspolice, which strictly segregated the genders.

But while transforming the lives of many women,this reform drive will be cosmetic for many othersuntil the kingdom abolishes a system that givesmen arbitrary authority over their female relatives,critics say. “The social reforms in Saudi Arabia arevery much real and they will improve the everydaylives of women,” Bessma Momani, a professor atCanada’s University of Waterloo, told AFP. “But theguardianship system remains repressive and hin-ders women’s rights and mobility.”

Lightning rod Women’s empowerment is a potential social

lightning rod in the deeply traditional society ofSaudi Arabia. Officials close to the government saythey are seeking to dismantle the system piecemealto prevent any backlash from arch-conservatives.Meanwhile, horror stories regularly surface.Women inmates are often reported to be stuck inprisons after completing their terms because theywere not claimed by their guardians. One Saudiwoman told AFP how she was stuck in limbo,unable to even renew her passport, when herfather, her only male guardian, slipped into a comaafter an accident.

Many Saudis condemned Qunun for what theydescribed as dishonoring her family. But as she gal-vanized international support in a Twitter-led cam-paign, many others voiced solidarity - especiallyafter the Saudi charge d’affaires in Bangkok wascaught on tape telling Thai authorities they shouldhave confiscated Qunun’s cellphone. “It is challeng-ing for the crown prince to completely dismantleguardianship laws because of religious conserva-tives who have a vested political interest to remainrelevant in a changing Saudi Arabia,” said Momani.“That said, social pressure from young people likeRahaf, who find the reforms glacially slow ... mayprove more of a political challenge than the reli-gious conservatives.” — AFP

By James Dobbins

The Trump administration has begun to roll back thepresident’s announced pullout from Syria. On Dec19 Trump said Islamic State had been defeated; his

officials now acknowledge not entirely. Trump originallyordered a withdrawal within 30 days, then administrationofficials said it would take four months, and more recentlythey announced that there is as yet no fixed timetable. Thedeparture was originally unconditioned, now it is explicitlyconditioned on receiving assurances from Turkey regard-ing their treatment of the Syrian Kurds - a demand thatcaused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to snubNational Security Adviser John Bolton during Bolton’sTuesday visit to Ankara.

Despite tension with Ankara, these evolutions are all inthe right direction, recognizing that the anti-IS campaignis not entirely over and that the United States has residualobligations to its main partners in that fight, the SyrianKurds. The change in strategy is also evidence of seriousdisarray within the administration, as officials at all levelsstruggle to carry out what appear to be ill-preparedinstructions and unrealistic policies.

Confusion over Syrian policy preceded the president’swithdrawal announcement. Trump has said that he hadearlier given the Pentagon a firm deadline for withdrawal

and had refused to extend it. Yet in the weeks leading upto his December announcement, Bolton and his top Syrianenvoy, James Jeffrey, publicly maintained that Americanforces would remain in Syria as long as Iranian forces andproxies did, which is to say indefinitely. So either thepresident had not given clear instructions, or his principaladvisers did not take his guidance seriously. Either expla-nation would be cause for concern.

In their Dec 14 phone call that preceded the withdraw-al announcement, Trump and Erdogan agreed that Turkeywould take over the fight against residual IS elements inSyria. A glance at the map would indicate how improbablethis is. IS is holed up in isolated pockets of resistance onthe Iraqi border, not the Turkish border, and thousands ofKurdish fighters occupy the territory in between.Geography makes clear that any future anti-IS campaignin the Euphrates River valley would likely be conductedby the Kurds, or the Damascus regime and its Russian andIranian allies.

The Kurds can conduct this fight only if they are notattacked by the Turks and if they continue to benefit fromAmerican equipment and air support, which probablyrequires at least a few American forward observers on theground. Having the Syrian government occupy this areawould be a lot less desirable, but better than leaving ISundisturbed.

Washington’s attitude toward the regime in Damascusalso warrants review. Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad isa serial war criminal, but the United States has previouslytalked with other leaders in that category, such as Serbia’sSlobodan Milosevic and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi. Iranwill never leave Syria entirely, but its presence will dimin-ish as the civil war winds down. Ending that war andoffering the prospect of international reconstructionassistance could provide the best means of eventuallyreducing Iranian influence.

America’s Gulf allies are beginning to make their peacewith Assad in order to better compete with Iran for influ-ence there. European governments are also becomingrestive and in the wake of the most recent shifts in USpolicy, less l ikely to follow Washington’s lead.Washington’s strategy, under Obama as well as Trump,has been to “impose costs” on the government inDamascus by diplomatic ostracism and economic sanc-tions. This punitive approach is morally satisfying andpolitically expedient, but as a practical matter it just helpsperpetuate the conflict and sustain Assad’s dependencyon Iran.

NOTE: James Dobbins is a senior fellow at the non-profit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and a former USassistant secretary of state. The opinions expressed arehis own. — Reuters

US should review its approach to Assad

Shutdown keeps US experts away from conferences

This week, the AmericanAstronomical Society is meeting inSeattle, but no one from NASA is

attending. In Phoenix, thousands of mete-orologists are presenting research on cli-mate change and extreme weather, buthundreds of representatives from theNational Weather Service and other USagencies canceled at the 11th hour. TheUS government shutdown, now well intoits third week, may be focused on a budg-et dispute between President DonaldTrump and Congress over border securi-ty, but it is having a ripple effect on thescientific community.

Keith Seitter, the executive director ofthe American Meteorological Society, toldAFP that the absence of about 700 USgovernment employees at his group’s annu-al meeting will mean the loss of about 800presentations. It slashed total attendance atthe five-day meeting in Arizona from 4,400to about 3,700, he said. Many of theabsentees work for the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),which is focused on the state of America’soceans and the atmosphere.

It is also the umbrella agency for theNational Weather Service, whose person-nel still work on weather alerts and fore-casts, but without pay. NOAA researcherswho are not as involved in day-to-dayoperations but who take care of qualitycontrol and the development of forecastmodels have been furloughed until thewider budget dispute is resolved.

The US space agency NASA and theNational Science Foundation, one of themain sources of research funding in thecountry, have also grounded their expertsfrom attending any conferences until fur-ther notice. A large part of NASA’s budgetis earmarked for observation of the Earth.“This is a real loss in many ways, fromagencies not having access to the mostrecent research coming out of the academ-ic community, to loss of interactions withthe private sector, who are innovating newtechniques,” Seitter said.

“And of course, all of us are also missingan opportunity to learn more about whatthe government scientists are doing,” he

added, making special mention of improve-ments to weather forecasting models, nowon hold. “The ripple effects and the linger-ing impact of this are going to be signifi-cant and noticeable.”

NASA absence felt At the American Astronomical Society’s

233rd meeting, which runs through today inSeattle, 10 to 15 percent of the registeredparticipants did not show up in the end,according to organizers - 300-450 peopleout of 3,200. The society, which meetstwice a year, is a must for researchers inthe field. Hundreds of presentations, pressconferences and other events are on theagenda. Many astronomers announce keydiscoveries at the conferences - on blackholes, galaxies or, you know, the formationof the universe.

But 96 percent of NASA staff are con-sidered non-essential, according toDemocratic lawmakers. That means 16,700agency employees have been furlougheduntil the agency’s new budget is approved.They cannot even attend the winter meet-ing as a representative via videolink - evenif they pay for their travel out of their ownpockets. “Usually, the director of astro-physics at NASA will come and make a lit-tle presentation and then take questions foran hour,” says AAS spokesman RickFienberg. “So sessions like that - thatinvolve government officials who are cur-rently on furlough - obviously, those could-n’t happen.”

The Stratospheric Observatory forInfrared Astronomy, or SOFIA - an aircraftlargely funded by NASA, in concert withthe German Aerospace Center - was meantto welcome visits onboard in Seattle. Nodeal. “That had to be canceled becauseSOFIA is NASA-funded and it’s currentlygrounded,” Fienberg said. The spokesmantook pains not to overstate the conse-quences of the government, saying that theconference sessions were well attended,even if there was an “undercurrent of dis-appointment.”

At NASA’s booths, subcontractors areholding the reins. An exception was madefor co-authors of major studies, who wereallowed to make their presentations if thelead authors were absent. But that doesn’tmean the shutdown is pain-free for thesociety. “A lot of what people come for isto interact with their colleagues and peersand friends and to explore new opportuni-ties in research,” he said. “And some frac-tion of those conversations aren’t happen-ing, and it’s a shame.” — AFP

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (left) meets Nechirvan Barzani, outgoing Prime Minister of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), in the province’s capitalErbil during a Middle East tour yesterday. — AFP

World body hit hard after US pullback

The year 2019 started off at theUnited Nations with Somaliabrazenly kicking out the UN

envoy, followed soon after byGuatemala ditching a UN-sponsoredanti-corruption commission. After atough year that saw the UnitedStates, the UN’s top financial backer,cut funding, pull out of the HumanRights Council and scrap UN-backed agreements, the UnitedNations is taking more hard hits.Some UN watchers are questioningwhether the global organization cre-ated at the end of World War II tosafeguard world peace is facing aslow demise, increasingly underattack by governments with nation-alist agendas.

Nearing the half-way mark inhis f ive-year tenure, UN chiefAntonio Guterres has warned thatmultilateralism is under fire at atime when the world needs it most.Leading the anti-UN charge isPresident Donald Trump whoseAmerica-First approach to foreignpolicy has emboldened other gov-ernments to thumb their noses atthe United Nations, analysts say.“The UN is having a nerve-wrack-ing start to 2019,” said RichardGowan, senior policy fellow at UNUniversity. While the UnitedNations may not be on the brink oftotal collapse, “the Trump adminis-tration’s attitude encourages othersto defy the UN,” he said.

On Monday, the new envoy forSyria, Geir Petersen of Norway, tookup his post as the UN’s fourth peacebroker, but the United Nations hasbeen sidelined by Russia and Iran inits efforts to end nearly eight yearsof war. Peacekeeping - at the heartof the UN’s security approach - isunder serious financial strain afterthe United States announced plansin late December to further cut backits budget contribution.

Meanwhile, the Security Councilis divided over how to respond tothe elections in the DemocraticRepublic of Congo. Both Somaliaand Guatemala have cited UN inter-

ference to justify their decisions. UNenvoy to Somalia Nicholas Haysomwas declared persona non grata lastweek after he questioned theMogadishu government’s decision toarrest an Al-Shabaab defector whoran for election. Guatemalaannounced it was unilaterally endingthe mandate of a UN-backed anti-corruption commission that hadbeen looking into President JimmyMorales’ election campaign finances.

US abandons UN Jeffrey Feltman, the UN’s former

political chief who stepped downlast year, worries that the UnitedStates and European powers nolonger have the UN’s back when dis-agreements like those withGuatemala or Somalia arise. “Whatconcerns me is that there no longerseems to be effective push-backagainst such decisions,” saidFeltman, now a fellow at theBrookings Institution.

Member states who would nor-mally be expected to defend theprinciples have “abandoned tradi-tional positions,” he said, citing theUnited States, or been consumedwith political turmoil such as Britainwith Brexit and EU countries withpopulism. “The UN secretariat, fear-ful of losing essential member statesupport, will not speak out forceful-ly, in the absence of sufficient mem-ber state backing,” he added.

A potential bright spot is Yemen,where the United Nations has suc-ceeded in bringing the warring sidesto the table for negotiations on end-ing a horrific war - but UN diplo-mats caution that peace process isfragile. “The UN is being tested likeperhaps never before,” said LouisCharbonneau, UN director forHuman Rights Watch, who arguesthat stronger UN leadership is need-ed to help the world body survivethis difficult moment. “The secre-tary-general should use his bullypulpit to call out abusers by name,no matter how powerful. We needhim to be more of a general than asecretary.”

Faced with setbacks, Guterrescounters that people continue to seethe UN as the best platform toaddress global problems, such as cli-mate change. A major UN climatesummit planned for September isshaping up as a key test of the UN’srelevance. — AFP

BEIJING: Chinese and US teams endedtrade talks in Beijing yesterday that lastedlonger than expected and officials saiddetails will be released soon, raising hopesan all-out trade war that could badly dis-rupt the global economy can be avoided.The talks were extended into an unsched-uled third day, showing both sides were“serious”, China’s foreign ministry said.

Share prices jumped in Asia and marketsin Europe and the United States wereexpected to follow suit as the longer talksfuelled optimism that the world’s largesteconomies were inching towards an agree-ment. Ted McKinney, US undersecretary ofagriculture for trade and foreign agricultur-al affairs, said the US trade delegationwould return to the United States later onWednesday after a “good few days”.

“I think they went just fine,” McKinneysaid of the talks.

“It’s been a good one for us,” he toldreporters at the delegation’s hotel, withoutelaborating. Speaking at a daily news brief-ing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman LuKang confirmed both sides had agreed toextend the talks beyond Monday andTuesday as originally scheduled. Asked ifthat meant the talks had been difficult, Lusaid: “I can only say that extending the con-sultations shows that the two sides wereindeed very serious in conducting the con-sultations.”

This week’s meetings are the first face-to-face talks since US President DonaldTrump and Chinese President Xi Jinpingagreed in December to a 90-day truce in atrade war that has roiled global financialmarkets. The editor of a state-run Chinesenewspaper said in a social media post heexpected China and the United States torelease statements early today.

“From what I know, the trade talks,though arduous, were conducted in a pleas-ant and candid atmosphere. Neither sidehas made a briefing, because the US dele-gation is on the plane now,” wrote Hu Xijin,editor of the Global Times, published by theruling Communist Party’s official People’sDaily. “The two sides will release messagesat the same time on Thursday morningBeijing time,” Hu said.

Looming deadlineThe extra day of talks came amid signs

of progress on issues including purchasesof US farm and energy commodities andincreased access to China’s markets.

However, people familiar with the nego-tiations told Reuters that the two sides werefurther apart on Chinese structural reformsthat the Trump administration is demandingin order to stop alleged theft and forced

transfer of US technology, and on howChina will be held to its promises.

If no deal is reached by March 2, Trumphas said he will proceed with raising tar-iffs to 25 percent from 10 percent on$200 billion worth of Chinese imports, ata time when China’s economy is slowingsignificantly. Beijing has retaliated in turnto US tariffs.

But as meetings wound down in Beijingon Tuesday evening, Trump tweeted: “Talkswith China are going very well!” The USteam is led by Deputy US TradeRepresentative Jeffrey Gerrish, and includesundersecretaries from the US Departmentsof Agriculture, Commerce, Energy andTreasury, as well as senior officials from theWhite House.

Vice Commerce Minister WangShouwen heads the vice ministerial leveltalks for China, though Vice Premier Liu He,

a top economic adviser to Xi, made anappearance at a meeting on Monday.

China is keen to put an end to its tradedispute with the United States but will notmake any “unreasonable concessions” andany agreement must involve compromise onboth sides, state newspaper the China Dailysaid yesterday.

The paper said in an editorial thatBeijing’s stance remained firm that the dis-pute harms both countries and disrupts theinternational trade order and supply chains.In what was widely seen as a goodwill ges-ture, China on Tuesday issued long-awaitedapprovals for the import of five geneticallymodified crops, which could boost its pur-chases of US grains as farmers decidewhich crops to plant in the spring. OnMonday, Chinese importers made anotherlarge purchase of US soybeans, their thirdin the past month. — Reuters

Ooredoo Kuwait receives latest PCI-DSS 3.2.1 certification

Global markets enjoy rally; Brent crude rises back to $60

The new Mercedes-Benz CLA Coupe:Icon of automotive intelligence 1412 13

BusinessEstablished 1961


Hopes of a deal build despite a looming March deadline

US-China trade talks end on positive noteQINGDAO, China: An employee watching over cranes as he talks on his interphone at a port in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong province. — AFP

Saudi private jetindustry stallsafter corruption crackdownDUBAI: A crackdown on corruption inSaudi Arabia has severely dented the king-dom’s private jet industry in a sign of theimpact the campaign has had on privateenterprise and the wealthy elite. Dozens ofplanes, owned by individuals and chartercompanies and worth hundreds of millions ofdollars, are stranded at airports across thekingdom including Riyadh and Jeddah, fourpeople familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Some were handed over to the state insettlements reached after the crackdownwas launched in late 2017, when dozens ofprinces, businessmen and government offi-cials were detained, they said.

Others belong to Saudis who either facetravel bans or are reluctant to fly the planesbecause they are wary of displays of wealththat might be seen as taunting the govern-ment over the anti-corruption campaign, twoof the sources said.

The government media office did notrespond to requests for comment. TheGeneral Authority of Civil Aviation said ques-tions on the impact of the anti-corruptiondrive on the private jet industry were outsideits mandate, adding that its relationship withprivate aviation covers operations, safety andregulations. The crackdown’s impact on thebusiness community and private enterprise,which are already reeling from low oil pricesand weakened consumer confidence, hasshattered investor confidence.

The idle aircraft, which one of thesources estimated at up to about 70, includeBombardier and Gulfstream jets, the sourcessaid. There are also larger Airbus andBoeing aircraft that are more commonlyassociated with commercial airlines but areoften used in the Middle East as private jets.A Boeing 737 MAX or Airbus A320neo cancost up to $130 million, though the final costdepends on how the jet is fitted out withtechnology and amenities, including privatebedrooms, meeting rooms, and even gymequipment.

The number of registered private jets inSaudi Arabia stood at 129 as of December2018 compared with 136 a year earlier,according to FlightAscend Consultancydata. Private jets offer users flexibility as,unlike commercial airliners, they are notconstrained by arrival and departure time

slots. They also enable users to travel morediscreetly.

Under the radar Saudi Arabia’s finance minister,

Mohammed Al-Jadaan, said last month thestate had collected more than 50 billionriyals ($13.33 billion) from settlementsreached under the crackdown. Most of thedetainees held at Riyadh’s Ritz-CarltonHotel last November were released afterbeing exonerated or reaching financial set-tlements with the government, which said itaims to seize more than $100 billion in totalin either cash or assets. It is unclear how thegovernment would transfer ownership of thejets grounded across Saudi Arabia as manyare owned through offshore firms or aremortgaged, two of the sources familiar withthe matter said.

Three of the sources said it was likelythat the jets were still registered in the king-dom. Two of the sources said the govern-ment could absorb the aircraft into existingfleets used by ministries and state-ownedcorporations. A third source said the gov-ernment had been looking to set up its ownprivate jet company made up entirely ofseized aircraft.

The anti-corruption campaign launchedby Prince Mohammed has won widespreadapproval among ordinary Saudis, partly

because the government has said it will usesome of the funds to finance social benefits.Critics have said the purge was a powerplay by the prince as he moved to consoli-date power in his hands. There have beenfew private jet flights in Saudi Arabia overthe past year, largely because there are few-er planes readily available, including forcharter, three of the sources familiar withthe matter said.

VistaJet Chief Commercial Officer IanMoore compared it to the situation in Chinawhere an anti-corruption crackdown has

also weakened the private jet market.“It’s not really politically great to be seen

flying privately at the moment, particularlyowning your own aircraft,” he told Reuters.

Some wealthy Saudi elite are taking com-mercial airlines to the United Arab Emirates,Bahrain and other destinations and thenchartering private jets to avoid governmentscrutiny, two of the sources said. Plane man-ufacturers said the appetite for business jetsales in Saudi Arabia has dropped since theanti-corruption crackdown was launched inNovember 2017. — Reuters

RIYADH: Dozens of planes, owned by individuals and charter companies and worth hundreds ofmillions of dollars, are stranded at airports across the kingdom including Riyadh and Jeddah.


12B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

Business Year interviews Dr Khaled MahdiKUWAIT: The Business Year had the pleasure to inter-view Dr Khaled Mahdi, Secretary-General of the GeneralSecretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning andDevelopment (SCPD), as part of the upcoming edition ofThe Business Year: Kuwait 2019. Kuwait’s Vision 2035envisioned by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah maps out an entire economictransformation of the country. The vast national plan rep-resents the attempt of transforming Kuwait into a regionalfinancial and commercial hub. For this reason, TBY inter-viewed Dr Khaled Mahdi, Secretary-General of theSCPD, the entity in charge of promoting and monitoringthe implementation of the Vision 2035.

During the interview conducted by Kevin DelaplaceHaro, Country Editor for TBY Kuwait, Dr. Mahdiexplained how Kuwait “uses a custom-made system forthe preparation and monitoring of the national planprogress that allows the manager of each project toupdate us with their individual status, which adds respon-sibility and accountability to the role of the SCPD”.

In addition, he insisted on the importance of “pushingthe government to support more PPP projects in light ofthe success of the Az Zour plant”. He also stated that “thegovernment needs to give more freedom to private com-panies by letting them run and conduct their own busi-ness operations.” He believes this will further developtrust in the private sector and produce sustainable eco-nomic results.

The SCPD also launched a program aiming to fomentwomen inclusion in the economic and political spheres. Tothis end, Dr Mahdi is collaborating with UN Women,Kuwaiti universities, and the Women Studies Center.Finally, Dr Mahdi told TBY that “in 2019, the SCPD willpresent a voluntary national report on the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDG), a substantial project, led bythe SCPD, that will engage with all government entities,the private sector, NGOs, the World Bank, and the KuwaitChamber of Commerce”. Dr Khaled Mahdi was appoint-ed Secretary-General of the SCPD in early 2016. TheBusiness Year: Kuwait 2019 will be launched on June 13thin London.

KUWAIT: Ooredoo Kuwait announced that it has offi-cially been re-certified with the Payment Card Industry(PCI)-Data Security Standards (DSS) 3.2.1 ComplianceInternational Certification and ISO 27001:2013, making itthe only Ooredoo OpCo and the first telecom provider inKuwait to be certified with the latest version of the certi-fication for the third year in a row.

International standards PCI-DSS is the global industry standard for compli-

ance and security for personal payment card data, towhich vendors and businesses must conform to in orderto protect cardholders’ personal data and preventionfrom credit card fraud.

Ooredoo’s PCI-DSS compliance was first validated inDecember 2016, after an extensive audit conducted byControlCase, a qualified security assessor. OoredooKuwait was the first company in Kuwait to take that step,further solidifying its position in the local market. Thisstep helps customers make safe transactions Ooredoo’sweb payment portal, in addition to using Ooredoo’s pay-ment kiosks, conveniently located in 90 locations acrossKuwait for customers’ satisfaction.

The ISO 27001:2013 International Certification ISO27001 certification shows Ooredoo’s proactive approachtowards cyber security threats and its dedication toadopt the best practices in order to minimize thesethreats. This certification also improves the company’scredibility especially within the B2B segment.

Ooredoo is the only telecom operator in Kuwait toachieve the latest version of the PCI-DSS 3.2.1Re-Certification Compliance International Certification forthe third year in row and it is a major milestone for thecompany. This certification is an internationally recog-nized certification for customer’s card’s data security,and is a standard adapted for securely processing, trans-mitting and storing different payment card’s data.

Obtaining this certification is a very big step forOoredoo due to its importance in preventing, detectingand responding to cyberattacks that can lead tobreaches. This certificate helps the organization tostrengthen all payment channels including the Ooredoodigital platform. Furthermore, PCI-DSS InternationalCertification is a step ahead to prove to customers the

company’s dedication to build and maintain a safe andtrusted environment to protect all of Ooredoo Kuwait’scustomer information.

Ongoing commitmentCommenting on this announcement, Chief Executive

Officer at Ooredoo Kuwait, Sheikh Mohammed binAbdullah Al-Thani stated “This accomplishment rein-forces our commitment to ensure the best services to ourcustomers, with safe online transactions to protect themagainst fraud and other privacy breeches. This step isreflective of the company’s core values of caring andconnecting. Ooredoo strives to provide its customerswith the best services, while ensuring the safety of theirprivacy and information.” Al-Thani further added, this

standard helps the organization to strengthen all pay-ment channels including Ooredoo’s digital platform.Furthermore, PCI-DSS International Certification is astep ahead to prove to our customers our dedication tobuild and maintain a safe and trusted environment toprotect all of Ooredoo Kuwait’s customer information.

Tight security measuresPCI security standards are technical and operational

requirements set by the Payment Card Industry SecurityStandards Council to protect cardholder data. The stan-dards globally govern all merchants and organizationsthat store, process or transmit this data - with newrequirements for software developers and manufacturersof applications and devices used in those transactions.

Compliance with the PCI set of standards is mandato-ry for their respective stakeholders, and is enforced bythe major payment card brands.

Commendable efforts Commenting on Ooredoo’s achievement, ControlCase

COO Suresh Dadlani said Ooredoo’s efforts to ensurecustomers’ privacy of payment information are trulycommendable. He added, “We’re always happy to seecompanies and organizations such as Ooredoo Kuwaitworking to ensure that their clients’ information are pro-tected, especially during times like this when cyberat-tacks and customers’ credit card privacy information areunder threat. We wish Ooredoo the best of luck in theirfuture endeavors.”

The only Ooredoo OpCo and the first telecom operator in Kuwait

Ooredoo Kuwait receives latest PCI-DSS 3.2.1 compliance certification and ISO 27001:2013

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Thani receives the certification

Gulf Bank announces winners of Al DanahWeekly DrawKUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its weekly draw on January6, 2019 announcing the names of its winners for theweek from the Dec 30, 2018 till Jan 3, 2019, in whichfive winners received KD 1,000 each, every week.

The winners th is week are Nour Hasan Al iAlbloushi, Afrah Abbas Yaqoub Almuhemeed, AnoudFadel Ibrahim Alhathraan, Ameen Esam Ameen AbuHani and Samar Abdullah Alsaad Alshareedah.

The final Al Danah draw for 1 Million KuwaitiDinars wil l be held today, where the Al DanahMillionaire will be announced at a live event at TheAvenues, Phase 3. Join us from 4 pm onwards andenjoy a number of activities and games before weannounce this year’s Al Danah Millionaire!

Experience a special musical performance from atraditional Kuwaiti band and register for the popular‘Catch the Cash’ game, exclusive to Gulf Bank. Thebank will also be introducing the ‘Danah Hour’,

offering instant gifts to those named ‘Dana’, as wellas entry to a draw offering 10 lucky winners KD200.

Gulf Bank’s Al Danah 1st quarterly draw forKD200,000 prize was held on March 28, and the2nd Al Danah quarter ly draw, for the prize ofKD250,000 was held on June 27 and the 3rd quar-terly draw for the prize of KD500,000 was held onSeptember 26.

Gulf Bank encourages customers to increase theirchances of winning with Al Danah by depositingmore into their Gulf Bank accounts using the newePay (Self-Pay) service, which is available on GulfBank’s online and mobile banking services.

Al Danah offers a number of unique services tocustomers, including the Al Danah Deposit Only ATMcard, which allows account holders to deposit moneyinto their accounts at their convenience. Accountholders can also calculate their chances of winningthe draws through the ‘Al Danah Chances’ calculatoravailable on the Gulf Bank website and app.

Gulf Bank’s Al Danah account is open to Kuwaitiand non-Kuwaiti residents of Kuwait. Customersrequire a minimum of KD200 to open an accountand the same amount should be maintained for cus-tomers to be eligible for the upcoming Al Danahdraws. If the customer’s account balance falls below

KD200 at any given time, a KD2 fee will be chargedto their account monthly until the minimum balanceis met. Customers who open an account and/ordeposit more will enter the weekly draw within twodays. To take part in the Al Danah 2019 upcomingquarterly and yearly draws, customers must meet therequired hold period for each draw.

Customers can visit one of Gulf Bank’s 58 branch-es, transfer online, place queries through the officialGulf Bank WhatsApp service on 65805805 or callthe customer contact center on 1805805 for assis-tance and guidance. Customers can visit the websiteto find out more about Al Danah and its winners.

Microsoft reveals ME organizations’ 2019 ‘manifesto’ on digital transformationKUWAIT: Almost three in four Middle East organi-zations that have not yet moved their digital estatesand IT environments to the cloud, plan to do so in2019, a Microsoft survey has revealed. The findingwas one of many found by Microsoft in the company’sconstruction of the “2019 Middle East DigitalTransformation Manifesto” - covering experiences,attitudes and intentions of the region’s businesses andgovernment agencies regarding technological change.

More than 1,300 technology and digital decisionmakers from across the Middle East took part in thesurvey. Nearly half of all respondents (48 percent)said that their organization had yet to move some orany of its IT infrastructure to a third-party cloud.But more than 73 percent plan to do so in the com-ing year. The recent finding reflects previous, similardiscoveries made by Microsoft and independentglobal research firms, suggesting region-wide accel-erated engagement with cloud computing and relat-ed technologies.

Artificial intelligence is one such example. Almosttwo in five Middle East organizations (39 percent)have already adopted AI solutions and more thanone third (37 percent) are planning to adopt in 2019.Companies are getting bolder with their budgets inembracing AI. Some 72 percent are planning tospend on AI this year, suggesting that most previousadopters are planning further investments. Aroundone in three (34 percent) plan a spend of greaterthan 5 percent of their budget on AI, and 9 percentare setting aside more than 10 percent.

Attitudes towards the security of third-party dat-acenters have also progressed. Findings on cybersecurity reveal a troubling threat landscape fromwhich migrating organizations appear eager toescape. Some 63 percent of respondents said theircompany lost either productivity or data to a cyberincident in 2018; 46 percent of these victims were

affected more than once; and almost one in 10 vic-tims reported incidents “once a week or more”.

“The overarching lesson from these findings isthat the region’s need for a trusted, secure, intelli-gent cloud has never been greater,” said IhsanAnabtawi, Chief Operating and Marketing Officerfor Microsoft Gulf. “Concerns over security andescalating IT budgets, as well as the desire todevelop intelligent digital ecosystems that servebusiness needs in real time, are driving more andmore organizations to the cloud. Microsoft’s com-mitment to regional economic development -demonstrated by our contribution to infrastructuredevelopment, entrepreneurial mentorship and jobcreation - will take another huge step forward,when we open our first Middle East hyperscalecloud datacenters in Abu Dhabi and Dubai thisyear”. A recent IDC report shows that the cloudand the Microsoft ecosystem wi l l br ing over520,000 jobs to the Middle East & Africa regionover the next five years. More importantly, theWorld Bank recently concluded that for every tech-nology job created worldwide, 4.3 more are gener-ated across sectors and income groups.

While creating new job opportunities across theecosystem, the new UAE datacenters will adhere toMicrosoft’s trusted-cloud principles of security, pri-vacy, compliance and transparency, helping organi-zations meet customers’ needs while also deliveringdata residency, low latency, security and local certi-fication requirements. In addition to its commitmentto the region, Microsoft’s decision to establish thedatacenters emerged from multiple market-researchprograms and discussions with customers and part-ners throughout the Middle East.

“We called this study the ‘Middle East DigitalTransformation Manifesto’ because it is the clearestindication yet of the business community’s ambitionsand intentions with regards to digital transformation.Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person andevery organization on the planet to achieve more. Itis our obligation and privilege to move forward withour customers - to help them engage citizens andconsumers, empower employees, optimize opera-tions and reinvent business models. We will continueto play our part in spurring entrepreneurship, accel-erating innovation and fuelling growth,” addedAnabtawi.

KIB offers non-profit medicalfinancing up to KD 15,000KUWAIT: As part ofits ongoing commit-ment to providing thebest banking prod-ucts and services toits customers, KIB iscurrent ly of fer ingnon-prof i t medica lf inancing for up toKD 15,000, in coop-eration with MaidanCl in ic for denta lservices . With th isoffer, the Bank pro-vides customers withthe best medica lservices through flexible financing solutions for amaximum of 36 months - all in line with Islamicsharia principles.

On this occasion, General Manager of the RetailBanking Department, Othman Tawfiqi, said: “Thisfinancing solution reaffirms KIB’s dedication toproviding the best and latest products and servicesto its customers, making the Bank a true partner inall aspects of people’s lives. As part of this solution,the Bank provides the necessary financing to cus-tomers interested in medical treatment services,which includes access to various treatments acrossdiverse medical areas at a reasonable price andwithout any interest.”

Tawfiqi added that this financing solution willfacilitate a healthier, more flexible lifestyle for KIBcustomers. The Bank offers customers who areinterested in medical treatment and services accessto short-term, easy payment terms with utmostflexibility, reflecting its commitment as a leadingIslamic banking institution.

Othman TawfiqiEurozone joblessrate falls to decade-low BRUSSELS: Unemployment in the eurozone fell in November,data showed yesterday, as joblessness in Europe neared pre-cri-sis levels. Eurostat said the jobless rate in the single currencyarea fell to 7.9 percent in November, a 10-year low and downfrom a revised 8.0 percent for the previous month.

Unemployment in the euro area has been falling steadilysince it fell below the symbolic threshold of 10 percent inSeptember 2016. With the latest data, unemployment nears theaverage rate before the 2007-08 financial crisis, when it stood at7.5 percent. At the worst of the ensuing debt crisis in 2013,unemployment reached a record 12.1 percent in the euro area.Among the 19 single currency countries, the lowest unemploy-ment rate in November was recorded in Germany at 3.3 percent,according to Eurostat.

The highest rate was in Greece with 18.6 percent inSeptember, the latest available figure. Spain was on 14.7 percent.In the full 28 countries of the European Union, the unemploy-ment rate stood at 6.7 percent in November, stable compared toa month earlier, Eurostat said. —AFP

B u s i n e s s Thursday, January 10, 2019

13Established 1961

Pakistan’s PM sacks heads of gas utilities over energy crisisISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime MinisterImran Khan yesterday sacked the chiefsof Sui Natural Gas Pipeline Limited(SNGPL) and Sui Southern GasCompany Limited (SSGC) over a severewinter energy crisis that has seenrepeated supply outages. InformationMinister Fawad Chaudhry, the govern-ment’s main spokesman, said Khan tookthe decision after an inquiry committeefound that the two companies wereresponsible for the crisis.

Since the start of the winter,Pakistanis using natural gas for cookingand heating, as well as factories andpower plants that rely on the fuel, haveexperienced significant inconveniencedue to low gas pressure or no supply atall. Factories and business in the portcity of Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial

hub, have been badly affected, threaten-ing jobs and the livelihoods of workers.

“Recently, people have faced a severegas supply crisis,” Chaudhry said in astatement...The prime minister hasannounced the immediate sacking of theheads Sui Southern and Sui Northern,” thestatement said. Pakistan has suffered fromchronic energy supply problems for years,with regular power blackouts and gas out-ages caused by a mix of poorly maintaineddistribution networks, inefficient regulationand poor governance. The country hassignificant natural gas reserves that can fillalmost half its energy requirements butsupply constraints have led to increasingdemand for LNG imports.

Khan’s critics say the natural gascompanies are not solely responsible forthe recent energy crisis, pointing todecisions made by his government whichhave discouraged the importing of LNG.

In October, the new governmentannounced it would renegotiate agree-ments for two liquefied natural gas(LNG) import terminals as part of awider investigation into deals struck bythe previous government. The rapidadoption of LNG infrastructure madePakistan one of the industry’s fastest-

growing markets in Asia, sparking inter-est from the world’s major energy pro-ducers and traders.

As part of moves to increase energygeneration, Pakistan and the World

Bank yesterday signed a financingagreement worth $100 million for asolar energy project in the southernpart of the country, a finance ministrystatement said. —Reuters

Savings but no title deed? Loans help Kenyan women turn idle land into goldTULUROBA, Kenya: For the women of Tuluroba vil-lage’s self-help group, the goal was simple: use theircombined savings to buy cattle, fatten them and sellthem to the beef industry for slaughter. But there was aproblem. “We had no land to graze the cattle. Norcould we obtain a loan from a bank to buy land,because as women we do not own title deeds,” saidFatuma Wario, who chairs the 13-strong group.

That is common. Few women in Kenya have land titledocuments, and few are getting them: since 2013, lessthan 2 percent of issued titles have gone to women, theKenya Land Alliance, a non-profit, said in March 2018.And because getting a loan from a mainstream bankrequires collateral - typically in the form of a land titledocument - most women are locked out of the chanceto start a business.

In the end, the women of the HoriJabesa group bor-rowed money from an institution that loans money towomen’s groups without requiring land title. Instead,the cash from their savings underwrites the loan.

In Wario’s case, that meant switching their savingsaccount to the bank that was prepared to extend a$1,000 loan. Using that money and some of their sav-ings, “we bought cattle and hired land to graze ourstock”. That was in 2017. Doing so meant the groupcould rent 10 acres (4 hectares) of pasture at a cost of30,000 Kenyan shillings ($300) annually. Interest onthe loan is 12 percent per year. In their first year theyearned $10,000 from their investment - with each fat-tened head of cattle bringing in a $30 profit.

Thousands benefit The first step for Wario’s group was to become a

partner with the Program for Rural Outreach ofFinancial Innovations and Technologies (PROFIT),which is funded by the U.N International Fund forAgricultural Development (IFAD) and the Alliance for aGreen Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

David Kanda, an adviser at the SNV NetherlandsDevelopment Organization who has seen the impactPROFIT has had on women like Wario, said about 60women’s groups in eastern Kenya alone were benefiting

from the PROFIT program. “Apart from livestock enter-prises, the program also supports women to do poultryand bee-keeping on hired land.”

The program began in December 2010 and is sched-uled to run until June this year. After that, it will be eval-uated with an eye to continuing it, an official fromAGRA said.

Getting a loan requires that the person be an activemember of an agribusiness network. She can then applyto a farmer-lending institution for a loan as an individ-ual - in which case her share in the agribusiness net-work is her collateral - or with her group, as Wario’scollective did.

The Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC), a gov-ernment agency, is one such lending institution.

To date, said Millicent Omukaga, AFC’s head ofoperations, more than 40,000 women in Kenya havebenefited from non-collaterized loans. None of thoseloans has gone bad.

“Our aim is to double the number ... of women bene-ficiaries. But the overall aim is to see them financiallyempowered so that they can fight for their land rights.”

Grass bounty That has proven the case for Mabel Katindi, a widow

who lives in Kathiani village in Machakos county, 195kilometers south of Wario’s village. The 42-year-oldlost her husband a decade ago. Since then she has hadto fight off relatives trying to chase her and her threechildren from the one-acre plot she inherited.

The problem is that her late husband did not have atitle deed. As it is ancestral land, it fell under one titledeed held by the eldest member of his family, she said.

And without title, Katindi could not get a loan tofinance money-earning ventures on her acre.

“Our land is not very good for growing food cropsbecause the rains are not enough. Feeding my childrenalone has been the most difficult task,” she said.

But after joining the local women’s organization in2017, Katindi learned that, as an active member of theagribusiness group, she could use her share to applyfor a loan. In March of that year she borrowed 50,000shillings from a savings and credit cooperative, andused that to plant drought-resistant brachiaria grass onhalf an acre of her land. —Reuters

Fatuma Wario and a colleague work at her kitchen garden in Tuluroba village, eastern Kenya. —Reuters

World Bank’s Kim to join Global Infrastructure PartnersWASHINGTON: World Bank Group President JimYong Kim will join Global Infrastructure Partners(GIP), a private equity fund that invests in projectsin wealthy and developing countries, the firm saidon Tuesday, a day after Kim’s shock resignationfrom the bank.

Kim, who joins New York-based GIP on Feb. 1as a partner and vice chairman, has accepted aone-year ban from dealings with any World Bankunits, including its private sector lending arm, theInternational Finance Corp, a person familiar withhis departure arrangements said.

A major part of the lender’s work is lending tobuild infrastructure such as power, water and trans-portation projects in developing countries. Kimresigned more than three years before his termends in 2022 amid differences with the Trumpadministration over climate change and the need formore development resources. Discussions betweenKim and GIP about the new job came togetherabout six weeks ago at the G20 summit in BuenosAires, the person said. Kim has emphasized thatharnessing private sector investment funds was thekey to building badly needed infrastructure amidconstrained public budgets. After securing a $13billion capital increase last year and replenishmentsof the World Bank’s donor fund for the poorestcountries, Kim said on Monday in a note to staffthat the opportunity “is the path through which Iwill be able to make the largest impact on majorglobal issues like climate change and the infrastruc-ture deficit in emerging markets.”

LONDON: Global markets rallied yesterday onrenewed optimism over talks on the China-US tradewar, while oil prices were energized by fading supplyand demand concerns. Europe’s major stock marketsrose strongly, with Frankfurt, Paris and London eachadding about one percent. That followed strong gainsacross Asia and overnight on Wall Street.

Brent crude oil briefly spiked back above $60 perbarrel, hitting a three-and-a-half week high, withOPEC cutting output and concerns easing over weakdemand growth.

Upbeat sentiment has this week sent investorsback into equities, which are traditionally regarded asa riskier bet. “There’s been further gains seen in riskassets... with stocks building on their recent gainswhile Brent crude has notched a three-week highback above the $60 a barrel level,” said analystDavid Cheetham at brokerage XTB.

“A third day of US-China talks has providedgreater hope of a de-escalation in the trade tensionsbetween the world’s two largest economies-withpeople close to (US President) Donald Trump sug-gesting he is getting more keen to strike a deal inorder to boost the stock market.” After taking a bat-tering in December and suffering a shaky start to2019, confidence is slowly returning to equity tradingfloors. Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell providedthe platform for a rally last week when he said the UScentral bank had no “pre-set” plan for lifting interestrates and was “listening” to markets, signalling thatthe pace of hikes could slow this year.

Fear of higher borrowing rates was a major causeof last year’s stocks losses. The mood among dealers

held this week as officials from China and the UShunkered down for trade negotiations in Beijing thatwere extended into a third day. Trump on Tuesdaydescribed them as going “very well”. Bloomberg alsoreported White House sources as saying Trump iskeen to get a deal done in order to boost stock mar-kets, which he regards as a gauge of his success. TheWall Street Journal said the two sides were moving inthe right direction, with China ready to buy more USgoods and services, while further talks at cabinet lev-el were being lined up next week.

Oil rebounds from lows Benchmark oil contract Brent North Sea crude

climbed back to $60 per barrel yesterday, withOPEC cutting output and on easing concerns overweak demand growth. Around 0940 GMT, Brentcrude for delivery in March hit $60 for the first timein 3.5 weeks and was up 20 percent compared withtwo weeks ago, prior to an oil production cut by theOrganization of the Petroleum Exporting Countriesand non-cartel producers from January 1.

After reaching $60.05, Brent cooled slightly to$59.79, up $1.07 from Tuesday’s close. Brent and theworld’s other key contract, WTI, slumped late lastyear, hitting 18-month low points at $49.93 and$42.36 per barrel respectively. WTI for Februarydelivery was up $1.23 Wednesday to $51.01 per bar-rel. OPEC-a cartel of producer countries that haslong manipulated output of the commodity, to influ-ence global prices in members’ favor - and non-OPEC members, notably Russia, in December agreedto trim production by 1.2 million barrels a day from

the start of this year to shore up sagging prices.OPEC and its partners, which together account for

around half of global output, have presided over a

glut in the market which had led to oil prices tum-bling by more than 30 percent between October andDecember. —Agencies

Brent crude oil rises back to $60 per barrel

Global markets enjoy rally as China-US trade hopes rise

TOKYO: A pedestrian walks past a stock indicator board displaying share prices of the Tokyo StockExchange in Tokyo. —AFP

KARACHI: A Pakistani laborer works on a motorbike petrol tank at a workshop inKarachi yesterday. —AFP

Zimbabwe public workers threaten to join pay strikeHARARE: Zimbabwe’s public sector workers will join agrowing strike if the government does not agree to paythem in US dollars, the main civil service union saidyesterday. Doctors and some teachers have alreadystaged walk-outs, saying they need the hard cash pay-ments to protect them against inflation and a currencycrunch - piling pressure on Emmerson Mnangagwaless than five months into his contested presidency.

The Apex Council, which represents 16 public sectorunions, said it gave the government the required two-week notice of industrial action on Tuesday.

“If they do not pay us in US dollars or an equiva-lent, we are going on a fully fledged strike,” Apexdeputy chairman Thomas Muzondo said. Cashshortages have plunged Zimbabwe’s financial sys-tem into disarray, threatening social unrest andundermining Mnangagwa’s efforts to win back for-eign investors sidelined under his predecessorRobert Mugabe.

With not enough hard currency to back up fundsshowing in bank accounts, the value of electronic mon-ey has plummeted, prompting businesses and civil ser-vants to demand payment in US dollars they can with-draw. Vincent Hungwe, the chairman of the PublicService Commission that employs civil servants, saidthe government planned to meet unions and make anoffer by today. Late on Tuesday, he said the state wouldexpand cost-of-living payments and propose a newpension scheme. —Reuters


14B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

Automotive intelligence can be this beautiful

The new Mercedes-Benz CLA Coupé

VIVA opens its flagship store at Avenues Mall Phase 4KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-growing and mostdeveloped telecom operator, has inaugurated its flagshipstore at Avenues Mall - phase 4, in addition to its branchand booth at phase 1.

Commenting on this occasion, Abdulrazzaq BaderAl-Essa, Corporate Communications Director at VIVA,said: “VIVA aims through its stores to serve a largesegment of customers, to provide them convenienceand satisfy their needs and requirements. This newbranch opening at a crowded Mall, will bring VIVAand its customers closer and keep them posted regu-larly with the latest products and plans.”

He added: “The increase in customer baserequires strengthening and renewing of our stores,to provide the best services and products accordingto the latest and best standards in the world of tech-nology to our customers. In addition to our stores’services, VIVA’s customer care line at 102 is readyround the clock and up to public holidays, to pro-vide outstanding service to our valued customersthrough team of specialties.”

DUBAI: With MBUX, Mercedes-Benz has been revolu-tionizing how to operate a car and communicate with itsince the launch of the A-Class. “Now we go to the nextlevel with an intelligent interior assistance system for thecompact class. By recognizing gestures it facilitates nat-ural operation,” says Ola Kallenius, Member of theBoard of Management of Daimler AG, responsible forGroup Research and Mercedes-Benz CarsDevelopment. “This is not the only new feature by whichthe CLA offers a great deal of automotive intelligence.”

“With the first CLA we celebrated a huge successby selling some 750,000 vehicles and created a totallynew segment with a four-door coupé,” adds BrittaSeeger, Member of the Board of Management ofDaimler AG, responsible for Mercedes-Benz CarsMarketing & Sales. “The new edition of the CLA hasbeen developed further in an intelligent way and iseven more emotional and sportier than its predecessor.Coupled with new operating systems, it sets newbenchmarks for the entire class.”

The new generation of compacts has made a keycontribution to the rejuvenation and image change ofthe Mercedes-Benz brand and the CLA is importantfor winning and retaining new customers in particular.

In its first year, the new CLA will also be available asan Edition 1. In terms of both the exterior and the interi-or, this limited edition special model has numerous visu-al accents which underline its exclusivity. The new CLAwill be manufactured at the Kecskemet plant (Hungary)and will be launched in the region in October 2019.

Design: Pure emotion“As a four-door coupé, the new CLA intrigues

with its puristic, seductive design and sets new stan-dards in the design DNA of ‘sensual purity’. Itimpresses with its perfect proportions reflecting thefirst design sketch: a long, stretched bonnet, a com-pact greenhouse, a wide track with exposed wheelarches and our typical GT rear end with a strongdistinctive ‘Coke-bottle shoulder’,” says GordenWagener, Chief Design Officer of Daimler AG. “Inshort - the CLA coupé has the potential to become amodern design icon.”

The combination of the long, stretched entry lineabove the windows and frameless doors give the CLAcoupé its unmistakeable sporty and elegant character.Forming the front end is the striking front sectionwhich is raked forwards like a shark nose with a long,stretched bonnet featuring powerdomes.

Flat headlamps together with the low slung bonnetand the diamond radiator grille with central star createthe vehicle’s sporty face. The two-piece, narrow taillamps and the number plate housed in the bumper

make the rear of the CLA look especially wide.With the greenhouse moved back, the sporty GT

rear achieves a balance between elegance and sporti-ness. Featuring pared-down lines, the precisely mod-elled side profile provides an interesting interplay oflight and shade. Dispensing with the upper shapededge of the side wall permits extremely muscular andathletic shoulder shaping, stretching from the frontwheel arch through to the sculptured rear. Flush withthe outer edge of the body, the wheels with their flaredwheel arches and wide track epitomize dynamism andgive the vehicle a sporty presence.

In the interior, all elements are arranged accordingto the overarching design themes of ‘high tech’ and‘youthful avant-garde’ - be that the steering wheel, thedoor handle operating module, the center console orthe seats. As in the A-Class, the unique interior archi-tecture is shaped in particular by the avantgardedesign of the dashboard: The designers completelydispensed with a cowl above the cockpit. As a result,the wing-shaped main body of the dashboard extendsfrom one front door to the other with no visual discon-tinuity. The widescreen display is completely free-standing. The lower section is visually separated fromthe main body of the instrument cluster by a ‘trench’,and it appears to float in front of the instrument clus-ter. The ambient lighting enhances this effect. The airvents in a sporty turbine-look are another highlight.

One year since the premiere: MBUX keeps on learningOne year ago, MBUX - the Mercedes-Benz User

Experience - created a furor at its world premiere atCES in Las Vegas. A powerful computer, brilliantscreens and graphics, customizable display, full colorHead-up Display, navigation with augmented reality,software that can learn and “Hey Mercedes” - the key-word for voice control that explodes conventionalautomotive standards. This is how Mercedes-Benz isrevolutionizing car operation and communication withit. Now the company is igniting the next level. MBUXInterior Assist facilitates natural operation. The voicecontrol feature now recognizes topical answers in agrowing number of domains. Due to ongoing develop-ment of the system, it is also possible to take into con-sideration country-specific content providers.

MBUX Interior Assist: An even greater experience By recognizing movements MBUX Interior Assist

brings added intelligence to the interior. Thanks toinnovative technology, MBUX now supports the occu-pants by making various comfort and MBUX functionseven simpler and more intuitive. Interior Assist oper-ates in non-contact mode and functions both in sun-

light and in complete darkness. It enables the adaptation of screen content as soon

as a hand approaches the touchscreen in the dash-board or the touchpad on the center console, forexample. Individual elements are highlighted accordingto the currently active menu. In addition, the system isable to distinguish between the driver’s and front pas-senger’s wishes and thus knows for whose seat themassage function is to be activated, for example.

A special feature of Interior Assist is the personalfavorites function. It is accessed by holding a handover the center console with the index and middle fin-ger spread in a V-shape. In this way, any commandwhich is controllable via MBUX can be stored for sim-ple access. One typical favorite command is ‘navigateme home’. As the system is able to reliably recognizewho is operating it, the driver and front passengerrespectively can even assign different favorites to thesame hand position.

“Hey Mercedes”: Better understanding State-of-the-art of voice control can also be expe-

rienced in the CLA. Here too seat recognition has beenimplemented. The voice assistance only responds tothe commands of the person who last said ‘HeyMercedes’ to activate the system. There is also agrowing number of domains for which MBUX canunderstand complex questions and quickly reply: theseinclude sport (‘Hey Mercedes, how did the UAE play inthe Asian Cup? ‘), the stock exchange (‘Compare theshare price of Apple Incorporated to Microsoft’), cal-culations (‘What is the square root of 3? ‘) or generalknowledge (‘How tall is the Burj Khalifa’, ‘What is thepopulation of the UAE’).

ENERGIZING comfort control links various com-fort systems in the vehicle. The intelligent recommen-dations from the ENERGIZING COACH in the ENER-GIZING Package Plus are completely new. In general,the ENERGIZING comfort control systematically usesthe functions of the air conditioning system and theseats (heater, ventilation, massage) as well as lightingand musical moods, and enables a specific wellnessset-up tailored to the mood and need of the customer.

Aerodynamics: Intelligent solutions On the way to series production, the aerodynamics

of the new CLA underwent a considerably longerphase of optimization than its predecessor in the formof simulations, before the first measurements of modelswere carried out in the wind tunnel.

Work on optimization was in close collaborationwith the designers and was particularly intensive onthe rear apron, radiator grille, the fog lamp recesses

(the relief-like diamond-shaped pattern of which wasreduced to the edge on the CLA for aerodynamic rea-sons) and the height of the diffuser. Totally new are thewheel-arch spoilers with their fins in the longitudinaldirection; they help air to flow around the wheels withminimal losses. Aerodynamic finessing was also per-formed on the wheels and tires - both for the regularwheel-tyre combinations and for what are known asaero wheels, which have been completely redesignedto achieve the best possible aerodynamic values andwhich also look attractive. Integrated as standard atthe front of the vehicle is a two-piece shutter systembehind the radiator grille, which regulates air flowthrough the engine compartment. The almost completeunderbody panelling encompasses the engine com-partment, the main floor, parts of the rear axle and thediffuser.

Intelligent Drive: Functions from the S-ClassThe CLA has the very latest driving assistance sys-

tems with cooperative driver support, and thus pro-vides the highest level of active safety in this segmentwith functions adopted from the S-Class. For the firsttime, the CLA is able to drive semi-autonomously incertain situations. To do this, it keeps a close eye onthe traffic situation. Improved camera and radar sys-tems allow it to see up to 500 meters ahead. The CLAalso uses map and navigation data for assistance func-tions. For example, Active Distance Assist DISTRONICas part of the optional Driving Assistance Package isable to provide route-based support to the driver innumerous situations, and to predictively and conve-niently adjust the speed, e.g. when approaching bends,junctions or roundabouts. Also on board are e.g. ActiveEmergency Stop Assist and intuitively understandableActive Lane Change Assist.

The new CLA comes with enhanced Active BrakeAssist as standard. Depending on the situation, it caneffectively help to mitigate the consequences of rear-end collisions with slower-moving, stopping or station-ary vehicles ahead, and even with crossing pedestriansand cyclists, or to prevent them altogether.

Drive system: start with the most powerful engineAt the trade show presentation in Las Vegas, the

CLA on display is the CLA 250 with the powerful four-cylinder petrol engine (165 kW/225 hp, 350 Nm) with7G-DCT dual-clutch transmission (combined fuel con-sumption 6.3-6.1 l/100 km, combined CO2 emissions143-140 g/km)2. By the market launch in May, therewill be a broad range of diesel and petrol enginesavailable featuring manual or dual-clutch transmissionsand 4MATIC all-wheel drive.

Emirates Holiday offers ABK cardholders an extra 20% Skyward Miles on air tickets KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait (ABK),recently launched a number of travel promo-tions for ABK credit and prepaid cardhold-ers. Designed to complement Kuwait’s grow-ing community of frequent flyers, the promo-tion allows ABK cardholders to avail a sevenpercent discount on Emirates Holiday pack-ages and earn an extra 20 percent SkywardsMiles when purchasing Emirates Airlinesflight tickets.

In order to benefit from the offer, ABKcardholders must book the holiday packagesat the Emirates Holiday offices. In addition,flight bookings made using the ABK Credit orPrepaid card during the promotion will grantthe cardholder an additional 20 percent ofSkywards Miles. Although the offer is onlyvalid until 31st March 2019, customers canbook future travel dates in 2019 to enjoy themaximum benefits of the discount.

The Skywards Miles will be credited to thecustomer’s Emirates Skywards membershipaccount (EK number), which can be redeemedfor reward flights, upgrades on Emirates and avariety of other activit ies global ly.Furthermore, customers holding an ABK EKCo-Brand Card (Visa Infinite/Signature/GoldPP) are automatically Skywards members andcan enjoy 20 percent bonus miles on bookingswith Emirates Holiday packages with a mini-mum duration of three nights.

26 new winners in Al-Hassad Islamic account KUWAIT: Ahli United Bank recently conducted its Al-Hassad Islamic account weekly draw, Kuwait’s leadingsharia-compliant rewards program that offers a broadrange of prizes to the largest number of winners, on the2nd of January 2019. The account provides 26 weeklyprizes that are comprised of KD 25,000 as a grand prizeand 25 other prizes valued at KD 1,000 each. AUB alsooffers four quarterly prizes that are valued at KD 250,000to each winner allowing them to achieve their dreams of

travelling, studying abroad, or owning their dream homeor car. On this occasion Ahli United Bank announced,“With this draw, we are adding 26 new winners and prizesto the Al-Hassad Islamic account whereby, the total num-ber of winners annually will include more than 1300.

The weekly grand prize winner of KD 25,000 SafiyaHasan Al-Janabi. 25 other winners won prizes of KD1,000 and are as follows: Jana Jaber Al-Ibrahim, HussainMahmoud Abdulla, Thaivalath Vasudevan, Fahad KhaledAl-Khurainel, hashim Mohammad Abdllmoez, AbeerMahmoud Almaraghi , Abdulmajeed Zayed Al-Enezi,Mohammad AYMAN Allayah, Falah eid Alazmi, Imtiaz AliKagzi, Hashem Sayed Mohammad, Mariam SabeehAleidan, Lama Sabri Helall, Zaabi Hussain Al-Zaabi,

Yousef N A Al-Muaili, Fahad Hadi Al-Khaldi, Mansour AliHusain, Altaf A Y Alghanem, Mahmood Khamis Al-SabbaghH , Esmat Ahmed Abdullah, Latifa KhalifaMubarak, Ayman Ahmed Haroon, Ali Abdulla Isa, ZainabAli Makki, and Aqeel Ahmed Rashed.

Al-Hassad Islamic account’s customers in Kuwait andBahrain are eligible to participate in the draw in line withthe program’s terms and conditions. Ahli United Bankadded, “There are increased opportunities that await ourcurrent customers and those who are interested in open-ing an Al-Hassad Islamic account to benefit from the widerange of prizes and opportunities offered this year.”Individual customers can open their accounts with a mini-mum deposit of KD 100, qualifying them to enter the draw.

H e a l t h & Te c h n o l o g y Thursday, January 10, 2019

15

LAS VEGAS: Technology firms tackling the challenge ofautonomous driving are focusing on the “user experience”of vehicles that are increasingly becoming an extension ofpeople’s digital life. Carmakers and tech firms are refiningthe systems for self-driving navigation and safety. But withfull autonomy still likely years away, there is a growinginterest in making cars a place to live, work, communicateand enjoy the ride. At the Consumer Electronics Show thisweek, exhibitors were showcasing technology for comfort,safety, entertainment and personalization.

Byton, the China-based electric carmaker expected tolaunch its first vehicles late this year, showed its sedan witha 48-inch display panel, covering the width of the dash,where riders can watch movies, check messages and getother information-although the full array of services won’tbe offered while someone is driving. The Byton car will usefacial recognition to customize the experience for driversand passengers, with personalized music and recommen-dations. The car would know who is inside and how longthey have been traveling, and in one example cited by thecompany, make recommendations for restaurants along aparticular route.

“The car could become the most important device inyour digital life,” said Carsten Breitfeld, co-founder andchief executive of Byton. Byton will offer the potential forpartial autonomy, allowing riders to focus on other thingssuch as watching movies, shopping with a voice assistantor browsing the internet. The vehicle will work throughvoice, touch, gestures or facial recognition.

“It’s all about the customer experience,” Carsten told amedia event at the Las Vegas show, while noting that moreof the enhanced features will be used when the car is inautonomous mode or stationary.

Empathy and emotion Gawain Morrison, co-founder of the British-based arti-

ficial intelligence startup Sensum, said the human factor isbecoming more important in the automobile sector. “A lot

of the technology up to now has been about moving frompoint A to point B,” he said. “The next generation is abouthow to interact with the humans. They need an under-standing about the human state at any point in the jour-ney.” Sensum and its auto-supplier partner Valeo showedwhat it called “empathic mobility tech” which can measureoccupants’ emotional state and physiological comfort, andadjust its environmental settings accordingly. The SouthKorean automaker Kia dubbed its system “‘Real-timeEmotion Adaptive Driving,” or READ with an emotionalAI-based cabin which analyzes a driver’s emotional stateby monitoring facial expressions, heart rate and electro-dermal activity.

“The system enables continuous communicationbetween driver and vehicle through the unspoken lan-guage of ‘feeling’, thereby providing an optimal, human-sense oriented space for the driver in real-time,” saidAlbert Biermann, president and head of research for Kiaparent Hyundai.

Warnings for drowsiness German auto equipment maker Continental was show-

ing its monitoring system which can detect if a driver isdistracted or drowsy, in line with recommendations fromthe European Union. “You may get a visual warning, or theseat will vibrate, or the steering wheel will vibrate,” saidContinental executive Heinz Abel. “This is part of an effortto guide your attention back to the road.”

Several equipment makers were showcasing what theycalled the “cockpit of the future” which could be availablefor conventional vehicles and adapted for autonomousmode. Visteon, a former Ford unit which makes automotiveequipment, displayed its electronic control unit which inte-grates the driving and manages other system such asinformation and entertainment.

Upton Bowden, the head of new technology for Visteon,said equipment makers will be offering a “transitionalcockpit” which helps people understand what is happen-

ing in autonomous mode. “You want the occupants to trustthe system,” Bowden said. “When you get into an auto-mated vehicle you have no knowledge of that system, soyou have some level of discomfort.” The key to overcomingmistrust, he said, is to offer more transparency: “We cangive you a real-time digital picture of what’s going on bytaking the data and transforming it into a graphical user

experience.” Bowden said these systems can be especiallyuseful for autonomous rideshare vehicles, allowing person-alization of the experience through cloud-based technolo-gy. “It would recognize who you were and handle paymentthrough facial recognition,” he said. “It can instantly pairto your cloud account and bring in your favorite radio sta-tions and other information.” — AFP

‘User experience’ becomes the key for auto technology at CES

London remains top destination for European tech fundingLONDON: London remained the topdestination in Europe for technologyinvestment in 2018, with nearly doublethe amount being ploughed into compa-nies in the British capital than nearestrival Berlin, data showed yesterday.

Technology companies in Londonattracted 1.8 billion pounds ($2.3 billion)in venture capital funding, 72 percent ofthe total 2.5 billion pounds raised by UKtech businesses, according to data fromfunding database PitchBook on behalf ofthe Mayor of London. Eileen Burbidge, apartner at venture capital firm PassionCapital, said London was the leading hubfor financial technology thanks to itsposition as one of the world’s biggestfinancial centers, while its universitieshelped to create companies offering arti-ficial intelligence (AI). “We get a lot ofcalls and inquiries from investors in theUS and Asia looking for fintech opportu-nities,” she told Reuters. — Reuters

Carmakers refining systems for self-driving navigation and safety

‘Mosquito birth control’ drug could be ready in 5 yearsLONDON: Scientists in the United States saidon Tuesday they had taken a major step towarddeveloping a “mosquito birth control” drug tocurb the spread of malaria and other killer dis-eases blamed for hundreds of thousands ofdeaths a year. Researchers at the University ofArizona said they had discovered a protein uniqueto female mosquitoes which is critical for theiryoung to hatch. When the scientists blocked theprotein, the females laid eggs with defective shells

causing the embryos inside to die. The team saiddeveloping drugs which targeted the protein couldprovide a way to reduce mosquito populationswithout harming beneficial insects such as bees.

“It’s an important discovery,” RogerMiesfeld, head of the university’s department ofchemistry and biochemistry, told the ThomsonReuters Foundation by phone.

“We’re certainly excited about it ... This getsaround mosquito resistance and also has a muchbetter chance of being bio-safe (than othermethods).” Mosquitoes are one of the world’sdeadliest animals, according to the World HealthOrganization (WHO) which has warned thatglobal progress against malaria is stalling. Thedisease infected around 216 million people in2016, killing 445,000 of them, predominantlybabies and young children in sub-SaharanAfrica. Other diseases spread by mosquitoes

include Zika, Chikungunya, yellow fever, WestNile virus and dengue, which has risen 30-foldin recent decades, according to the WHO.

Miesfeld said current methods of controllingmosquitoes had been used for so long that theinsects were becoming resistant. Miesfeld saidthe research team was surprised to find thattreated females could no longer reproduce forthe rest of their two- to three-week life span.

“Once we knock down this protein she (themosquito) no longer makes viable eggs evenafter multiple blood feedings so ... birth controlis a great way to describe it.”

He said he hoped the discovery could lead tothe development of a new generation of insecti-cides in five years. These could be applied to bednets and other areas in the same way as currentsprays and would be absorbed by the mosquitothrough her legs and body. — Reuters

LAS VEGAS: People sit in a SPACe— L Autonomous Cabin vehicle at the Panasonic exhibit during CES 2019 inLas Vegas, Nevada on Tuesday. — AFP


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Established 1961


It’s the sort of morning that carries the threat of bib-lical rain, the Atlantic fog rolling in so fast it couldbe described as witchcraft. It arrives in a thick swirl

to the north of Bonne Bay around Lobster Cove HeadLighthouse, causing it to disappear within the murk. ForMother Nature’s next trick, the sea mist swallows thetowns of Rocky Harbor and Woody Point to the south,before changing course to let the sun break throughwith an almighty, absorbing glow. It’s an act worthy ofthe Norse storm god Thor, revealing the orange-topped tablelands of Gros Morne National Park in alltheir natural splendor.

Welcome to the Viking TrailThis is as fitting an introduction to Newfoundland’s

wind-whipped west coast as one could hope for. I’mmotoring north on the little-knownViking Trail, a lonely489km road through fjords and forests, squintingthrough the foggy windshield while mentally preparingfor what lies ahead.

Bookended by Deer Lake, home to WesternNewfoundland’s largest airport, and L’Anse auxMeadows, the best-preserved Norse settlement inNorth America, the route builds towards a grand finale,packing in a compendium of craggy headlands, geolog-ical marvels and cultural oddities that experts still can’tquite figure out.

Almost all accounts of Canada’s eastern frontiermention its Viking past, but Route 430, as it’s alsoknown, has an extra dimension: this end-of-the-worldroad is also a territory for dramatic sightings. Blink andyou may miss a breaching whale or cluster of moosegrazing by the roadside.

Even if many people would struggle to pinpoint iton a map today, Newfoundland has long loomed largein the imagination of explorers, fishermen and sailors.It’s anchored south of Greenland at the entrance tothe Gulf of St. Lawrence, the world’s largest estuary,and buffeted by the Labrador Sea. Politically it is gov-erned by Canada and its capitalOttawa, some 1500kmto the west.

But geographical isolation has fashionedNewfoundland in a distinctive, inimitable way. Codstocks lured fishermen from Europe and 70 years ago,

from 1907 to 1949, the province was a British dominion,while Basque whalers hunted off the coast during the16th century. Before that, around the year 1000, it wasthe turn of Viking explorer Leif Erikson, who arrivedsome 500 years before Christopher Columbus crossedthe Atlantic. For those interested in derring-do andconquest, this is a road trip restless with history.

Unpredictable canyons and forestsAs the skies begin to clear, I stop at Gros Morne

National Park’s headquarters north of Rocky Harbor.The scenery ranks among the most beautiful on theAtlantic seaboard and chiseled green hills rise overWestern Brook Pond, a dramatic freshwater inlet wherehikers follow a boardwalk trail into tuckamore forest.

Where the trail ends, a boat ferries them deeper intothe post-glacial fjord’s wilderness for overnight hikes inthe shadow of 700m cliffs formed 1,500 million yearsago. Locals call it the Grand Canyon of Newfoundland,but in an era of overtourism, it is a place to slide effort-lessly into the meditative rhythm of forest life. There areno Viking raiders, just the odd herd of roaming wood-land caribou, so I proceed north with caution: a roadtrip never felt so unpredictable.

By afternoon, the Viking Trail begins to shadow theLong Range Mountains, the northernmost reaches ofthe Appalachians, who’s contours slope off into a land-scape of gentle ridges topped with dwarf birch.Between the hills are headlands for whale watching andexpansive views of Labrador across the Strait of BelleIsle. Here, in summer, locals wake to the sound ofmigrating icebergs pulling up in the bays. It is a con-stant display of wild aesthetics, from windswept sea toboreal forest to eye-popping Arctic theater.

A step back into historyAt Old Ferolle Harbor, where British explorer

Captain James Cook moored in 1763 while on expedi-tion, I stop at Plum Point motel for that ancient Vikingdelicacy - fried cod tongues, brazenly pulled from theunderside of the fish’s chin. In season around everyApril, harp seal flipper pie is a common specialty alongthe trail, while seal jerky isn’t unheard of. As with manythings along the route, there’s the sense it has one foot

in the present, but one firmly rooted in the past. Here,the usual norms don’t apply.

The Viking Trail is known as the cradle of Norseculture in North America, but it only really shifts up agear when the road veers inland, crossing the interiorto the town of St. Anthony on the eastern coast. Bythis time, gaudy Viking souvenir shops and pastichehouses with longboat-shaped porches crowd theroadside. Guest summerhouses like the ValhallaLodge B&B, Viking RV Park, and Snorri Cabins com-plete the picture.

Away from the sparsely-populated hamlets aroundthe fringe of St. Anthony, L’Anse aux Meadows comesinto view. Discovered in 1960, the remains of the1000-year-old Viking-age colony marks the site of thefirst known European settlement in North America.Here Leif Erikson, son of Erik the Red, and around 70-odd Vikings built timber and sod longhouses, intro-duced the continent’s first iron works and explored asfar south as New Brunswick.

According to the Viking Sagas, it’s also where thefirst European baby was born on North American soil.“You’re standing in what would have been the chief-tain’s room,” Parks Canada interpretative team leaderMatthias Brennan tells me, while walking around theUnesco-listed World Heritage Site. “Faint impressionsin the pasture lands were excavated to reveal Vikingartifacts, but excavations are still ongoing. There areso many unanswered questions.”

As we continue to explore the grassy knolls,Brennan explains the exact nature of life at the wintercamp isn’t known. Another mystery is why the Vikingfarmers left after only 30-odd years. But one stone-cold certainty is how productive they were duringtheir stay: excavations have unearthed hundreds ofartifacts made of wood, iron, stone, bronze and bone.Such finds include a copper alloy dress pin, birch-barkcontainers, carved wood finials and a spindle whorl.Around us, the site is dotted with evidence of fire pitsand tool-making workshops. —www.lonelyplanet.com

The road to Valhalla: Viking

adventures in northeast Canada

CROSSWORD 2106

ACROSS1. (informal) Of the highest quality.4. The bone in the ankle that articulates

with the leg bones to form the anklejoint.

12. A condition (mostly in boys) character-ized by behavioral and learning disor-ders.

15. (British) A linear measure of 16.5 feet.16. Shrubby lichens of the family

Usneaceae having a flattened thallus.17. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike

part of an organism.18. An inhabitant of ancient Thebes.20. Easy to reach.21. Extremely pleasing.22. Leafless East Indian vine.23. A doctor's degree in music.26. Made of fir or pine.27. A soft silvery metallic element of the

alkali earth group.28. British filmmaker (born in Hungary)

(1893-1956).31. A soft white precious univalent metallic

element having the highest electricaland thermal conductivity of any metal.

32. A genus of herbs and shrubs belongingto the family Euphorbiaceae.

36. A cut of pork ribs with much of themeat trimmed off.

41. A republic in southeastern Europe onthe southern part of the Balkan penin-sula.

42. Committee formed by a special-inter-est group to raise money for theirfavorite political candidates.

43. An ancient Hebrew unit of dry measureequal to about a bushel.

46. Make a raucous noise.47. Socially disoriented.50. According to the Old Testament he

was a pagan king of Israel and hus-band of Jezebel (9th century BC).

51. Of or relating to or characteristic ofThailand of its people.

52. A step in walking or running.53. Designer drug designed to have the

effects of amphetamines (it floods thebrain with serotonin) but to avoid thedrug laws.

55. A town in western California south ofSan Francisco on a peninsula at thesouthern end of Monterey Bay.

57. The compass point that is one pointeast of due south.

59. That is to say.60. (combining form) Former.63. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked

on a skewer usually with vegetables.67. A set of tags and rules (conforming to

SGML) for using them in developinghypertext documents.

70. Bottle that has a narrow neck.73. Title for a civil or military leader (espe-

cially in Turkey).74. A city in the northern panhandle of

Texas.77. Aircraft landing in bad weather in

which the pilot is talked down byground control using precisionapproach radar.

78. Being one more than six.79. Linear with respect to each of two

variables or positions.80. A barrier constructed to contain the

flow or water or to keep out the sea.81. The sign language used in the United

States.82. A quality of refined gracefulness and

good taste.83. A loose sleeveless outer garment made

from aba cloth.

DOWN1. An honorary arts degree.2. Fatty pinkish flesh of small salmon

caught in the Pacific and Great Lakes.3. Swelling from excessive accumulation of

serous fluid in tissue.4. A constellation in the southern hemi-

sphere near Telescopium and Norma.5. A bar of sand.6. A soft silvery metallic element of the rare

earth group.7. A demon who swallows the sun causing

eclipses.8. A state in northwestern North America.9. Strong liquor flavored with juniper

berries.10. Small genus of evergreen trees of trop-

ical America and western Africa.11. Concerning those not members of the

clergy.12. A Chadic language spoken south of

Lake Chad.13. Divulge information or secrets.14. A Chadic language spoken south of

Lake Chad.19. (Norse mythology) God of light and

peace and noted for his beauty andsweet nature.

24. (New Testament) The sages who visit-ed Jesus and Mary and Joseph shortlyafter Jesus was born.

25. In a joyous manner.29. English scholastic philosopher and

assumed author of Occam's Razor(1285-1349).

30. A chronic skin disease occurring pri-marily in women between the ages of20 and 40.

33. A sheet of metal or wood or glass orplastic.

34. A state in the United States in the cen-tral Pacific on the Hawaiian Islands.

35. Have an ambitious plan or a lofty goal.37. (British) An abbreviation of pantomime.38. Fruit of the oak tree.39. Leave or strike out, as of vowels.40. Broad in the beam.44. An American doctorate usually based

on at least 3 years graduate study anda dissertation.

45. Cause to be embarrassed.48. God of justice.49. Wrap us in a cerecloth, as of a corpse.54. Heal or recover.56. Expel air.58. Earlier in time.61. American filmmaker and comic actor

(1935- ).62. (Irish) Chief god of the Tuatha De

Danann.64. Armor plate that protects the chest.65. (criminal law) Money that must be for-

feited by the bondsman if an accusedperson fails to appear in court for trial.

66. A very young child (birth to 1 year)who has not yet begun to walk or talk.

68. (of persons) Neat and smart in appear-ance.

69. Tropical Asian starlings.71. Someone who works (or provides

workers) during a strike.72. God of love and erotic desire.75. A unit of length equal to one thou-

sandth of an inch.76. Resinlike substance secreted by cer-

tain lac insects.

Yesterday’s SolutionDaily SuDoku

Wordsearch Puzzle Yesterday’s Solution


18S t a r s

Established 1961

Yesterday’s Solution

If you have been debating on a new business approach, today is theday to make it happen. Much success will come your way. Make the pitch, presentthe proposal. Today is a day you will get the results you have been dreaming of.You are convincing and have a way with your words today. You will be able tomake others see things your way. By the time you are through, those involved willsee things your way and have the exact desires you do. Stay on top of newsabout money matters. This is a very profitable time for you.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

A time of major change in your life is upon you. It will be strange andunusual in many ways. Everything new, unusual, and revolutionary seems toappeal to you now. A more eccentric side of you emerges. Thinking outside of thebox may lead to a very profitable and creative invention. Let your thoughts leadyou. You may find those close to you may be a bit uncomfortable with this unusualside of you, Taurus. Don’t worry. They will grow to love the new you.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

All that is mysterious and taboo seem to draw you in. Curisosity mayhave killed the cat but that is a chance you are willing to take. You are cravingexcitement and long to experience something new. This is a great time of cre-ativity for you. A change of scenery or a change of style are coming your way.You may be drawn to the unusual and avant garde. Out with the old and in withthe new. Watch out world! Expect to turn some heads today.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

You may feel a need for change is long overdue. You may want tobreak old habits and set out on a new path. You may find yourself drawn to a dif-ferent lifestyle and find yourself going against the grain. You desire to be a partof a new and different crowd and feel as if something is pulling you in a directionbeyond any comfort zone you have known. Today may find you lacking directionand this may lead to conflict in the work place as you appear lost with no focus.This is an internal conflict and there is no need to try to explain this to othersclose to you as it may cause frustration when your ideas are not met withacceptance by others.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

The sky is the limit for you today. You are optimistic and can accom-plish anything you set your mind to. You have faith and are willing to takechances on an emotional level that may bring great reward and happiness yourway. You may be deep within your feelings and have a desire to experiencesomething new. An emotional wanderlust, if you will, is the desire of your heart.Today you are all about you. Your wants, needs, and desires, take over and all youcan do is pursue what your heart wants. This is a very productive day for youphysically and emotionally.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

You may be feeling drawn and even turned on by that which is taboo.Sex, power, and the pursuit of wealth are beginning to be a driving force behindyour emotions. You are fascinated by people. What makes the do the things theydo? What makes them tick? You desire a fresh start in your life and majorchanges. You know this may only be accomplished by turning your back on all youbelieved and starting over with an open mind and a new outlook on life in general.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Stress plays a bigger role in your life than usual. Under pressure isnot the best position to be in to make decisions. When tensions are high like youmay experience today, it is best to but off any decisions for later. Hit the road,take a drive, or just do what it takes to add a bit of relaxation into your world.You may find someone turning to you for advice or as a shoulder to cry on.Pouring your time into helping someone may seem to relieve your stress and min-imize your own problems. Helping others could be the best way to help yourself.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

You’re into the organic diet and toxic free lifestyle; this is reflected inthe contents of your garden and kitchen. You’re focused like a laser on reachingcertain financial goals and anything that threatens this rattles you; take a deepbreath and conquer! You’re in a position to caretake someone who’s unable to takecare of themselves in some way; you happily attend to this. You go the extra mile tohelp someone at work and this opens your eyes to the plight of someone else. Amelancholy energy could infuse your environment; realizing that we live on a some-times harsh planet is a downer until you take a look at the wonderful life you lead.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

You tend to bore easily. This is a time where you crave something dif-ferent, something out of the ordinary. The only way to bring about change in yourworld is for you, yourself to make changes. Think outside of the box. Dare to dreamthe imposible. Reach for the stars. One day you just may be one. You crave excite-ment and something that will set your soul on fire. Trying new things and surround-ing yourself with new friends may be in order. Let no one set limits on your life. Youare in control and you have the power to acquire everything your heart desires.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)This is a day you will crave all eyes to be on you. You crave atten-tion. From the way you dress, to the way you carry yourself, the center of atten-tion is what you can expect to be. All eyes are on you. You will shine today. Itseems as if everything conspires to bring out your more unique and unusualqualities. It may seem as if things work in your favor today. Solutions to oldproblems will come easy. This is a great day to spend some time working on anew invention.

You may find yourself wanting to broaden your horizons. You knowthis is a big world and your life is contained in a tiny square of it. It may be timeto take a step out of that box and find what the world has to offer you. You couldfind it difficult to communicate with others today because you find your mind is amillion miles away. Curiosity has taken a hold on you and you can’t seem to stayfocused on the here and now. You may find this evening that a good book may bejust what you need to find this escape you have been searching for. A good timefor rest and relaxation is in order for you.

You may be feeling drawn and even turned on by that which istaboo. Sex, power, and the pursuit of wealth are beginning to be a driving forcebehind your emotions. You are fascinated by people. What makes the do thethings they do? What makes them tick? You desire a fresh start in your life andmajor changes. You know this may only be accomplished by turning your backon all you believed and starting over with an open mind and a new outlook onlife in general.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)


Established 1961

Lifestyle

This combination of pictures created shows Vietnamese motorists riding under the rain along a street in Hanoi yesterday. — AFP photos

In this file photo actress Margot Robbieattends the New York premiere of

‘Mary Queen Of Scots.’ — AFP

In this picture Indian workers gather next to the remainsof a Hindu temple before carrying on with demolitionwork in the Lahori Tola area of Varanasi in Uttar Pradeshstate. — AFP photos

A view of buildings undergoing demolition near Manikarnika Ghat in the Lahori Tola area of Varanasi in Uttar Pradeshstate.

Indian schoolgirls walk over the rubble of a demolishedhouse along an alleyway near Meer Ghat in Lahori Tola areaof Varanasi, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Australian actress Margot Robbie will play the roleof Mattel’s iconic Barbie doll in the toy’s first live-action film, Mattel and Warner Bros said Tuesday.

Barbie, who will celebrate her 60th birthday this year, hasalready been the subject of dozens of animated movies,though none were ever distributed in theaters. The featurefilm will be the first from the toy manufacturer’s new studioMattel Films, and co-produced with Robbie’s productioncompany LuckyChap Entertainment.

“Over the brand’s almost 60 years, Barbie has empow-ered kids to imagine themselves in aspirational roles froma princess to president,” Robbie said, according to astatement. Launched in March 1959, the character ofBarbara Millicent Roberts is from the fictional town ofWillow, Wisconsin. Her boyfriend, Ken, was introduced byMattel in 1961 and her sister, Skipper, in 1964. The compa-ny has released hundreds of fashion and lifestyle acces-sories for the brand.

Despite Mattel’s release of different versions of Barbiewith varying of eye colors, hairstyles and skin tones and,more recently, more diverse body types, the actress por-traying Barbie for her big-screen debut will resemble thedoll’s original blonde, blue-eyed iteration.

“I’m so honored to take on this role and produce a filmthat I believe will have a tremendously positive impact onchildren and audiences worldwide,” Robbie said. Robbie,28, has starred in films including “Suicide Squad” in 2016and “I, Tonya” in 2017, for which she was nominated for abest actress Oscar.

The new project shows the ambitions of Mattel’s newCEO, Ynon Kreiz, who took the top spot at the company inApril 2018. Kreiz is working to revive a company that hassuffered from the twin blows of video games and screensin general, which have taken children’s attention away fromtraditional toys. But 2018 was a good year for Barbie, assales increased 15 percent over the first nine months of theyear to $698 million. In total, more than a billion Barbiedolls have been sold in the 60 years since she first wentfor sale in New York. — AFP

Varanasi’s templecorridor destroys old neighborhoodIndia’s ancient city of Varanasi is clearing the way for

a grand temple corridor by razing hundreds of hous-es, wiping away its oldest neighborhood and upset-

ting locals. The aim is to improve accessibility for pil-grims by providing a direct pathway from the Gangesriver to the 18th-century shrine of Lord Shiva, the KashiVishwanath temple. For centuries Hindus have visitedVaranasi to cremate their dead but it has often requirednavigating crowded alleyways to reach the city’s ghats,or riverside steps, where the caretakers of the crema-tion grounds pass flaming torches to the bereaved fami-lies to ignite wooden pyres dotting the banks.

Some 300 homes have been earmarked for demoli-tion but locals, whose families have lived in the area forgenerations, say some of the properties beingdestroyed are as old as the temple itself. Local residentAjay Kapoor hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi,whose constituency is Varanasi. “Why should he care?By demolishing 300 houses, he will lose not even10,000 votes,” Kapoor told the Hindu daily.

“But Banaras (Varanasi) is defined by its galis(narrow lanes), and by creating this corridor, he isrobbing Banaras of its very identity.” The reportadded that residents have been offered compensa-tion and relocation options but said that some resi-dents feel it is not adequate reimbursement for los-ing homes in an area of prime real estate. The$85,000 demolition project has also unearthed sev-eral ancient temples, statues, and historic buildings,prompting debate on how best to preserve thesewhilst constructing the corridor. — AFP

Margot Robbie to portray Barbie in first live-action film

L i f e s t y l e Thursday, January 10, 2019

20 Established 1961

Fa s h i o n

Pokemon prints, khaki, flowing cuts and a raft of youngtalent were among the standout features of London’sFashion Week Men’s, which ended on Monday after

three days of catwalk shows. With the big names of British fashion, most notably

Burberry, abandoning the men’s version of Fashion Weekin favor of presenting mixed collections during the mainevent, the path was clear for young designers to maketheir mark with their Autumn/Winter 2019 wardrobes.Nigerian-born designer Mowalola Ogunlesi, who graduat-ed in 2017 from the prestigious Central Saint Martins, wasone of those to grasp the opportunity.

Ogunlesi, stylist on a recent video for rapper Skepta,has been earmarked as one of London’s rising fashionstars, displaying his collection under the banner of theFashion East talent incubator. On the menu, a sexy andinventive wardrobe celebrating African culture with tawnypatterns and tight trousers with low waists in khaki, blueand grey.

Christopher Raeburn presented his eco-fashionwardrobe, marked by sophisticated canvas pants and win-ter parkas worn with Cuban caps. Green gave way toolive at Hussein Chalayan’s show and his minimalist, geo-metric wardrobe that included trousers made of removableparts to adapt to the weather. The Turkish-British design-er’s muted camouflage palette was broken by bold flashesof fluorescent yellow.

Also playing on contrasts, Danish designer AstridAndersen matched traditional autumn brown with vibrantblue azure, as though welcoming the season’s first flakes ofsnow. Fluidity was the watchword for young Britishdesigner Craig Green, with his collection of lightweightand comfortable raincoats with oversized hoods like bridalgowns. Compatriot Edward Crutchley showed off hismore High Street friendly collection, revealing his Japaneseinfluence with long, kimono-style jackets.

He described the collection as representing “a sartorial,no-frills attitude” where “signature roomy silhouettes havebeen slimmed down in homage to the no-nonsense tailor-ing of mid-1980s Japanese and American” ready-to-wear.British designer Bobby Abley cemented his reputation forplayfulness by mining Japanese cartoon phenomenonPokemon for inspiration. Pikachu, Charmander andSquirtle, three creatures from the famous franchise,adorned sweatshirts and jogging pants, worn with DocsMartens and stetsons.

Events took a darker turn with Chinese designerXander Zhou, who drew on his own “fears” with intriguingcombinations of faux fur in a yeti style, complete withshark fins and wolf masks. Bulgarian Kiko Kostadinovtook an even more unsettling path with his collectioninspired by cult horror film “Ring” (1998).

Like the ghost that haunts Hideo Nakata’s feature film,his models marched with their faces hidden by long blackhair. Unisex label “Art School” surprised the London pub-lic by parading men in dresses and miniskirts for its veryfirst solo show at Fashion Week.—AFP

Pikachu and provocation at London’s Fashion Week for men

Models present creations byfashion house Raeburn duringtheir catwalk show of theAutumn/Winter 2019 LondonFashion Week Men’s fashionevent in London. — AFP

Models presentcreations duringthe Xander Zhou.

Models present creations byfashion house Chalayan.

Thursday, January 10, 2019L i f e s t y l e Fa s h i o n

Established 1961 21

Models present acreation by Britishdesigner EdwardCrutchley.


Fe a t u r e s

Established 1961 22L i f e s t y l e

First-time director Bradley Cooper and Mexican filmmakerAlfonso Cuaron on Tuesday topped the list of nomineesfor the Directors Guild of America (DGA) award-a strong

indicator of Oscar hopes. Cooper was nominated for the pop-ular music romance reboot “A Star Is Born”-the story of anaging rocker (Cooper himself) who discovers a strugglingsinger-songwriter (Lady Gaga) and propels her to stardom.

But Cuaron will be a tough competitor, after winning bestdirector honors at the Golden Globes for “Roma,” his ode tohis own childhood in 1970s Mexico City. It is his second DGAnomination after winning for “Gravity.” Both “Star” and“Roma” are seen as top contenders for Academy Awards glo-

ry on February 24.At the Globes on Sunday, “Roma” also scooped up the

award for best foreign language film, while “Star” was largelyshut out, only winning for best original song. Rounding out theDGA field for outstanding achievement in feature film direct-ing are the veteran Spike Lee for “BlacKkKlansman,” PeterFarrelly for “Green Book” and Adam McKay for Dick Cheneybiopic “Vice.”

“Each of these directors has demonstrated an exceptionalcommand of the medium, creating excellence for the screen,”said DGA president Thomas Schlamme in announcing thenominees. The DGA awards are to be handed out on February

2. The DGA short list is considered a Oscars bellwether. Lastyear’s DGA winner, Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape ofWater”), went on to win the same prize at the Oscars and thefilm took best picture honors. The Academy Award nomina-tions will be announced on January 22. — AFP

Cooper, Cuaron among Directors Guild nominees

In this file photo actor and director BradleyCooper arrives for the 76th annual Golden Globe

Awards in Beverly Hills, California. — AFP photos

A woman walks past a bus featuring an advertising of the upcoming Bollywood film ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ inMumbai, India. — Reuters

In this file photo US actor Jason Momoa arrives for the worldpremiere of ‘Aquaman’ at the TCL Chinese theatre inHollywood. — AFP

Afilm that casts opposition leader Rahul Gandhi andhis family in an unflattering light ahead of anational election later this year has kicked up a

controversy ahead of its release on Friday. Commentatorson social media and television news programs have takenswipes at the makers of “The Accidental Prime Minister”for pursuing a political agenda, while a spokesman for theGandhi’s Congress Party has derided it as “propaganda”.Based on a 2014 book of the same name, the Bollywoodmovie is billed as a chronicle of Manmohan Singh’s ten-year premiership, as narrated by his former media advi-sor Sanjaya Baru.

Singh, a distinguished economist often credited for thecountry’s liberalization push in the 1990’s, became primeminister in 2004, after Congress President Sonia Gandhi,Rahul’s mother, led her party to a surprise election victo-ry, but then stunned the country by nominating Singh forthe premiership. Trailers for the movie include scenesshowing the Gandhis telling the mild-mannered Singhwhat to do, providing political ammunition for PrimeMinister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist BharatiyaJanata Party as it girds for a harder than expected battleto win a second term at an election that must be called byMay. The BJP’s official Twitter handle tweeted a link to

the trailer, calling the film “a riveting tale of how a familyheld the country to ransom for 10 long years.”

Rahul Gandhi’s father, grandmother and great-grand-father were all prime ministers of India, and the BJPhabitually targets the dynasty.

The trailer has garnered more than 63 million views onYouTube. In one scene, Singh’s wife is shown asking herforlorn husband: “How much more will the party insultyou? Why can’t you say something? Singh, now 86 yearsold, could not be reached immediately by Reuters forcomment. Anupam Kher, the actor who plays Singh, hasbeen an ardent Modi supporter and his wife is a nationallawmaker for the BJP. Akshaye Khanna, who plays Baru’scharacter in the film, is the son of Vinod Khanna, a filmactor who was also a BJP lawmaker.

Kher told Reuters that he didn’t want to discusspolitical views “because whatever I say will not satis-fy those who raise objections.” But the coming elec-tions left suspicions over the timing of the film’srelease. Fellow Bollywood actor Mohammed ZeeshanAyyub tweeted “why don’t you just postpone therelease till July, if it is just a pure piece of cinema andnothing more?”— Reuters

Bollywood film on former PM stirs controversy before Indian election

Star Whitaker more scared of playingDesmond Tutu thanIdi Amin

Hollywood star Forest Whitaker has playedhitmen, gangsters, and bloodthirsty dictatorIdi Amin. But nothing scared him more than

portraying South African Nobel peace prize laure-ate Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the new film “TheForgiven”. “I was very intimidated, really afraid,”the legendary actor told AFP as the film opened inEurope. “I asked myself: ‘Can I do this?’ A numberof times I thought maybe I should just withdraw. “Iwanted to (play him) but I wanted to make surethat he’d be happy with whatever I did.”

But how could the towering, bear-like Whitakerbe convincing as the diminutive anti-apartheidcampaigner, now 87? “My voice is very differentfrom his, and then there’s the accent-there was alot of things that made me be concerned. Allcaused me great fear,” said the actor who won anOscar for his portrayal of Amin in “The Last Kingof Scotland”. “So all I could do was to try to por-tray the spirit and the soul of this man that was soimportant to South Africa, and in so many ways tothe world.” Whitaker made a name playing CharlieParker in Clint Eastwood’s jazz biopic, “Bird”,which earned him a best actor award at the Cannesfilm festival in 1988.

‘Forgiveness is complicated’ The 57-year-old Texan, who has thrown himself

into charity and conflict resolution work in Africasince playing Amin in 2006, said he has long beenan admirer of Tutu, an Anglican cleric who headedSouth Africa’s Truth and ReconciliationCommission (TRC). The body was set up to get tothe truth of murders and other crimes committedunder the former whites-only government, andcould provide amnesty for repenting perpetratorswho revealed all they knew. “The Forgiven”, whichwas adapted by Roland Joffe, the maker of the“The Killing Fields” and “The Mission”, turns onthe way Tutu was forced to deal with people whowould once happily have killed him-including aformer member of a government death squadseeking clemency before the TRC.

Meeting and studying Tutu for the film wasinspirational, said Whitaker, who is a peace andreconciliation ambassador for UNESCO. “Thethings he had to do has even more entrenched mybelief that we have to understand each other andat times forgive each other,” said the actor whosecharity, the Whitaker Peace & DevelopmentInitiative, works in South Sudan, Uganda, Mexico,and South Africa, as well as with gangs in the US.“Forgiveness is a very complicated thing,”Whitaker insisted. “Sometimes you have to forgiveyourself for forgiving someone for doing horriblethings to your family, to yourself and your friends.”In the film, Tutu’s capacity for compassion is put tothe test by fictional character Piet Blomfield,played by Eric Bana.

‘Africa changed my life’ “Africa has changed my life,” Whitaker told AFP,

after first discovering the continent when he wasshooting “The Last King of Scotland” in Uganda.“When we finished one of my colleagues asked meif I would go to an orphanage he was trying tobuild. I went and started to help him building dor-mitories and meeting the first child soldiers that Igot to know. And that was a kind of a spark,” saidthe actor and activist. The Hope North boardingschool in the north of the country, which he stillsupports, gives vocational training to former childsoldiers. “I had been involved with some form ofconflict resolution with gang members back in LosAngeles,” Whitaker recounted. “When I got toAfrica I saw inside the eyes of the child soldiersthe same look I saw in the gang members.”

So he asked himself: “What could I offer tobring about some sort of solution?” The answerwas to combine “conflict resolution with trainingfor computer technology, life and leadershipskills, and social entrepreneurship.” As for Tutu,known for his easy laugh, Whitaker’s fears wereunwarranted. “He loved the film, which was agreat relief for me. He had joked with me beforewe made it about how we were going to do hisnose,” a favorite with cartoonists. “We decidednot to do very much. We used a fake one,” saidthe actor, who has also played recent block-busters such as “Black Panther” and “Rogue One:A Star Wars Story.”— AFP

‘Aquaman’ makeswaves to stay atop NAmerican box office

“Aquaman” left other movies in its wake in NorthAmerican box offices this weekend, taking in$31 million, final figures by industry watcher

Exhibitor Relations said Monday. The DC super-herofilm, in its third week out, has now taken in a global totalof $941 million. That makes it the biggest Warner Bros.comic-book film since “The Dark Knight Rises” earnedmore than $1 billion in 2012, according to Variety’s enter-tainment news website.

Jason Momoa stars as the heavily tattooed halfhuman/half-Atlantean hero who struggles against evilforces to gain control of the powerful Trident of Atlan.James Wan, known for horror films like “Saw,” directed.In second place was new Sony thriller “Escape Room,”with $18.2 million for the three-day weekend-a strongstart for a film that cost just $9 million to produce.

Third place went to Disney’s family-friendly musical“Mary Poppins Returns,” at $15.9 million. The sequel tothe beloved 1964 film stars Emily Blunt in the title roleand Lin-Manuel Miranda as a limber and lovable lamp-lighter. In fourth was “Bumblebee,” from Paramount, at$13.2 million. The prequel to the “Transformers” moviesstars Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena.

Sony’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” droppedto the fifth spot, with a take of $13.1 million for its fourthweek in theaters. The film won a best animated pictureaward at the Golden Globes on Sunday, with directorPeter Ramsay hailing the message of inclusivity behindthe film. “We were trying to make a movie that spoke tothe idea that anyone could be behind the mask,” he saidduring his acceptance speech.

Rounding out the weekend’s top 10 were:“The Mule” ($9.1 million)“Vice” ($5.7 million)“Second Act” ($4.8 million)“Ralph Breaks the Internet” ($4.7 million)“Holmes & Watson” ($3.3 million)—AFP

Scattered throughout the city’s outlying neighborhoods,Moscow’s Soviet-era cinemas have for decades servedas the center of communities. With names like “Mars”

and “The Diamond”, the cinemas were mostly built in the1960s and 70s during a Soviet film boom and were populareven after the collapse of the USSR, offering cheaper ticketsthan their counterparts in shopping centers. Now-as part ofa wider plan changing the face of the Russian capital-almost40 of them are being turned into modern glass complexes.

Developers say the project will brighten up dreary sub-urbs and bring more life to dormant residential districts. Butit has faced a backlash from activists and residents, who sayit will deprive locals of community focal points and destroyimportant architectural heritage.

The plan is part of a major city redevelopment programled by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin that has includedthe construction of a multi-billion-dollar park and the demo-lition of Soviet-era pre-fab apartments. Real estate compa-ny ADG Group bought 39 Soviet-built cinemas from thegovernment and plans to turn them into what it calls “neigh-borhood centers”.

‘There is nothing there’ Grigory Pechersky, ADG Group’s founder and co-direc-

tor, said the majority of the cinemas were in “extremelypoor” condition when his company bought them in 2014.“Around half of them were closed since the 1990s,” he toldAFP in the group’s central Moscow office. Pechersky said

the project aims to “recreate the historical function of thecinemas, which is for residents to spend their free time com-fortably.” Moscow’s infrastructure in residential areas is lim-ited, he said, and Muscovites tend to travel to the huge city’scenter for quality entertainment and shopping.

“Those areas are very densely populated but in manycases there is nothing there,” he said, adding that around 10million people live between Moscow’s two main beltwayswhere the cinemas are located. All but three of the cinemaswill be completely torn down and rebuilt. One of those sur-viving is the 1938 Rodina (Motherland) cinema, a Stalinistlandmark in northeastern Moscow with huge pillars andSoviet mosaics, where ADG Group plans to reopen thebuilding’s original rooftop terrace.

‘Little architectural value’ The rest of the cinemas were built in the brutalist style-a

utilitarian form of architecture popular in the Soviet Union inthe second half of the 20th century. Built in the shape ofsimple squares, some are on local high streets such as Almaz(The Diamond), a 1964 cinema painted turquoise in southernMoscow’s leafy Shabolovka district. Others-like the Angara,which is named after a Siberian river and already underreconstruction-are surrounded by typical late-Soviet hous-ing blocks. According to ADG Group, they have “little archi-tectural value”. The company hired the British architecturalfirm run by Amanda Levete-who has worked on London’sV&A Museum and Lisbon’s MAAT contemporary art cen-

ter-to design a concept for the new cinemas.The group’s main architect Alexei Belyakov said the cine-

mas will be reconstructed in a similar style, to form a recog-nizable “network” across the far-flung districts. In drawingsseen by AFP, they will all have a glass front and will be con-siderably larger, to make room for retail space and cafes. Allthey will retain is the logos of their original names-takenfrom cities and rivers of the Soviet Union, planets, mountainsand precious stones. Belyakov said that while the cinemas“were built in the spirit of the time, they are not practicalanymore.”

‘Our favorite cinema’ But many Moscow architects disagree. Ruben Arakelyan,

who runs a Moscow-based architectural bureau, said thatwhile it’s “right” to revive the cinemas, the brutalist buildingscould have been preserved. He said some of the cinemasbegan “dying out” when people increasingly started to travelto the city center for work after the fall of the Soviet Union.Local activists worry the cinemas will be turned into regularshopping malls-of which Moscow already has an abundance.

“They tell us that these are depressing places that needto be torn down,” said Klim Likhachev, the head of a resi-dents’ group to save the Almaz cinema. “But this is ourfavorite cinema. Nobody asked the residents,” Likhachevsaid. “By reconstruction they actually mean demolition. Theyare calling it a ‘neighborhood center’, but it will in fact beanother banal shopping center.” Activist Pyotr Ivanov saidthe problem with the plan was that it assumed each neigh-borhood where the cinemas are based had the same needs.“All of them are different. You could only make universaldecisions like that in a command economy like the SovietUnion,” he said.

Two Metro stations away from Almaz, residents have alsobeen fighting to preserve the Ulaanbaatar, named after thecapital of once Soviet-friendly Mongolia. Another of themovie theatres, the Baku Cinema in northwestern Moscow,has served as a community center for the Azerbaijani dias-pora since the Soviet era. ADG Group’s Belyakov brushedaside criticism, saying it was important for the Russian capi-tal to look to the future. “Moscow is moving forward,” hesaid. — AFP

Credits roll for Moscow’s Soviet-era cinemas

A picture shows a view of the 1938 Rodina (‘Motherland’) cinema, a Stalinist landmark in northern Moscow with huge pillarsdecorated with Soviet mosaics. — AFP

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Arrival Flights on Thursday 10/1/2019Airlines Flt Route TimeJZR 254 Amman 00:05JAI 572 Mumbai 00:15KAC 504 Beirut 00:45THY 772 Istanbul 00:50SAI 441 Lahore 00:50JZR 734 Cairo 00:50KAC 102 London 00:50PGT 858 Istanbul 01:00DLH 625 Dammam 01:25RJA 642 Amman 01:35UAE 853 Dubai 01:45IGO 1757 Kochi 01:55ETH 620 Addis Ababa 02:15JZR 722 Alexandria 02:15GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30KLM 446 Bahrain 02:30QTR 1086 Doha 02:40OMA 643 Muscat 02:55KKK 1268 Istanbul 03:05ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:05MSR 612 Cairo 03:15QTR 1076 Doha 04:00LMU 510 Cairo 04:00JZR 724 Alexandria 04:00IGO 1751 Chennai 04:10KAC 418 Manila 04:25KAC 784 Jeddah 04:30DHX 170 Bahrain 04:35JZR 406 Kochi 04:45FDB 069 Dubai 05:00KAC 382 Delhi 05:05JZR 404 Hyderabad 05:10THY 770 Istanbul 05:10KAC 1544 Cairo 05:10KAC 284 Dhaka 05:15JZR 112 Doha 05:25JZR 402 Mumbai 05:35KAC 332 Trivandrum 05:40KAC 344 Chennai 05:50KAC 362 Colombo 06:10KAC 302 Mumbai 06:10KAC 678 Dubai 06:55BAW 157 London 07:05JZR 708 Luxor 07:15KAC 354 Bengaluru 07:35KAC 206 Islamabad 07:35FDB 053 Dubai 07:50KAC 384 Delhi 08:00KAC 358 Kochi 08:05UAE 855 Dubai 08:35MSC 411 Asyut 09:00QTR 8511 Doha 09:00ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:05ABY 125 Sharjah 09:05QTR 1070 Doha 09:30FDB 055 Dubai 09:40IAW 157 Al Najaf 09:55SVA 512 Riyadh 10:00SYR 341 Damascus 10:00JZR 410 Delhi 10:00GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40IRA 675 Lar 10:50JZR 122 Dubai 11:20QTR 1074 Doha 11:35JZR 216 Jeddah 11:45MEA 404 Beirut 11:55KAC 614 Bahrain 12:25JZR 252 Amman 12:30JZR 714 Sohag 12:35UAE 871 Dubai 12:50KAC 742 Dammam 12:50ABY 121 Sharjah 12:55KIS 6032 Mashhad 13:00MSR 610 Cairo 13:10AXB 393 Kozhikode 13:15KNE 531 Jeddah 13:20QTR 1078 Doha 13:35IAW 157B Al Najaf 13:55IAW 157A Al Najaf 13:55KAC 774 Riyadh 14:00KAC 792 Madinah 14:05

KAC 204 Lahore 14:05IRA 667 Esfahan 14:10KNE 231 Riyadh 14:10JZR 602 Baku 14:10SVA 500 Jeddah 14:15FDB 059 Dubai 14:20KAC 672 Dubai 14:25FDB 8065 Dubai 14:40GFA 221 Bahrain 14:40KAC 618 Doha 14:40KAC 412 Bangkok 15:00KNE 529 Jeddah 15:05KAC 788 Jeddah 15:10ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 15:15JZR 222 Riyadh 15:30OMA 645 Muscat 15:35KAC 562 Amman 15:35KAC 304 Mumbai 15:40UAE 857 Dubai 15:45JZR 732 Cairo 15:50SAW 705 Damascus 16:00KAC 118 New York 16:05ABY 127 Sharjah 16:05JZR 212 Jeddah 16:25KAC 502 Beirut 16:30KAC 542 Cairo 16:30QTR 1072 Doha 16:35FDB 051 Dubai 16:40FEG 341 Sohag 16:55JZR 114 Doha 17:10SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30JZR 104 Bahrain 17:45JZR 214 Jeddah 17:45UAE 875 Dubai 18:00FDB 063 Dubai 18:15JZR 124 Dubai 18:20QTR 1080 Doha 18:30MSR 620 Cairo 18:30RJA 640 Amman 19:00ABY 123 Sharjah 19:25RBG 555 Alexandria 19:25GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30NIA 161 Cairo 19:30KAC 616 Bahrain 19:30KAC 156 Istanbul 19:30KAC 662 Abu Dhabi 19:35FDB 057 Dubai 19:50KAC 776 Riyadh 19:50JZR 126 Dubai 19:55KNE 381 Taif 20:00KAC 620 Doha 20:15DHX 172 Bahrain 20:20OMA 647 Muscat 20:20QTR 1088 Doha 20:35KAC 674 Dubai 20:35DLH 624 Frankfurt 20:45KAC 174 Munich 21:15ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:20ALK 229 Colombo 21:20MEA 402 Beirut 21:20KAC 164 MXP 21:25KAC 168 Paris 21:30UAE 859 Dubai 21:35RBG 551 Alexandria 21:40GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45KAC 676 Dubai 21:45KLM 445 Amsterdam 21:50KAC 564 Amman 21:55JAI 574 Mumbai 22:00MSC 405 Sohag 22:00QTR 1082 Doha 22:05ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:15AIC 981 Chennai/Ahmedabad 22:25RBG 213 Sohag 22:30KAC 622 Doha 22:30KAC 786 Jeddah 22:45KAC 692 Muscat 22:55BBC 043 Dhaka 23:00MSC 501 Alexandria 23:05GEC 8456 Frankfurt 23:10JZR 128 Dubai 23:15FDB 071 Dubai 23:45

Departure Flights on Thursday 10/1/2019Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05FDB 072 Dubai 00:40JZR 409 Delhi 00:50JZR 707 Luxor 01:00JAI 571 Mumbai 01:15JZR 111 Doha 01:45KAC 677 Dubai 01:50SAI 442 Lahore 01:50KAC 417 Manila 02:20DLH 625 Frankfurt 02:25THY 773 Istanbul 02:30PGT 859 Istanbul 02:55IGO 1758 Kochi 02:55ETH 621 Addis Ababa 03:05UAE 854 Dubai 03:40KLM 446 Amsterdam 03:55OMA 644 Muscat 03:55QTR 1087 Doha 04:00KKK 1269 Istanbul 04:00ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:05MSR 613 Cairo 04:15LMU 511 Cairo 05:00KAC 203 Lahore 05:10IGO 1752 Chennai 05:10DHX 173 Bahrain 05:30QTR 1077 Doha 05:30FDB 070 Dubai 05:50JZR 215 Jeddah 06:00KAC 303 Mumbai 06:10JZR 713 Sohag 06:15JZR 121 Dubai 06:35THY 771 Istanbul 06:40JZR 251 Amman 07:05KAC 167 Paris 07:10RJA 643 Amman 07:15GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15KAC 413 Bangkok 07:20KAC 173 Munich 08:20JZR 601 Baku 08:30KAC 163 MXP 08:40FDB 054 Dubai 08:50KAC 501 Beirut 09:00KAC 787 Jeddah 09:05KAC 613 Bahrain 09:05KAC 791 Madinah 09:10JZR 731 Cairo 09:10BAW 156 London 09:10KAC 117 Shannon/New York 09:15KAC 541 Cairo 09:30KAC 561 Amman 09:40KAC 101 London 09:45KAC 671 Dubai 09:45KAC 741 Dammam 09:45ABY 126 Sharjah 09:45UAE 856 Dubai 10:00MSC 412 Asyut 10:00ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:10KAC 773 Riyadh 10:10FDB 056 Dubai 10:35KAC 617 Doha 10:35JZR 211 Jeddah 10:40QTR 8512 Doha 10:45QTR 1071 Doha 10:45KAC 155 Istanbul 10:45IAW 158 Al Najaf 10:55SYR 342 Damascus 11:00SVA 513 Riyadh 11:00GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25IRA 668 Mashhad 11:50JZR 213 Jeddah 12:00JZR 221 Riyadh 12:00MEA 405 Beirut 12:55QTR 1075 Doha 13:00JZR 113 Doha 13:30ABY 122 Sharjah 13:35JZR 123 Dubai 13:40KIS 6033 Mashhad 14:00

MSR 611 Cairo 14:10UAE 872 Dubai 14:15AXB 394 Kozhikode 14:15KNE 532 Jeddah 14:20JZR 103 Bahrain 14:40IAW 158A Al Najaf 14:55IAW 158B Al Najaf 14:55KAC 661 Abu Dhabi 15:00QTR 1079 Doha 15:00KNE 382 Taif 15:00IRA 666 Esfahan 15:10FDB 060 Dubai 15:10JZR 125 Dubai 15:15GFA 222 Bahrain 15:25KAC 673 Dubai 15:40FDB 8066 Dubai 15:40SVA 501 Jeddah 15:45KAC 775 Riyadh 15:50KNE 530 Jeddah 16:00KAC 615 Bahrain 16:05KAC 619 Doha 16:10KAC 563 Amman 16:10ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 16:20KAC 283 Dhaka 16:30OMA 646 Muscat 16:35KAC 785 Jeddah 16:40ABY 128 Sharjah 16:45SAW 706 Damascus 17:00KAC 675 Dubai 17:05KAC 691 Muscat 17:15JZR 405 Kochi 17:40FDB 052 Dubai 17:40UAE 858 Dubai 17:45KAC 503 Beirut 17:45QTR 1073 Doha 17:50FEG 242 Alexandria 17:55KAC 331 Trivandrum 18:00KAC 343 Chennai 18:00JZR 733 Cairo 18:10SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20KAC 621 Doha 18:25JZR 127 Dubai 18:35JZR 403 Hyderabad 18:40JZR 253 Amman 18:40KAC 381 Delhi 18:55FDB 064 Dubai 19:20JZR 721 Alexandria 19:20UAE 876 Dubai 19:30MSR 621 Cairo 19:30QTR 1081 Doha 19:55RJA 641 Amman 20:00RBG 556 Alexandria 20:05ABY 124 Sharjah 20:05GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15NIA 162 Cairo 20:30FDB 058 Dubai 20:35KNE 232 Riyadh 20:50KAC 301 Mumbai 20:55JZR 401 Mumbai 20:55KAC 357 Kochi 21:00OMA 648 Muscat 21:20DLH 624 Dammam 21:30DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50QTR 1089 Doha 22:00ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:10KAC 1543 Cairo 22:15MEA 403 Beirut 22:20RBG 552 Alexandria 22:20ALK 230 Colombo 22:25KAC 383 Delhi 22:30GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30KLM 445 Bahrain 22:50KAC 783 Jeddah 22:55UAE 860 Dubai 23:00MSC 406 Sohag 23:00JAI 573 Mumbai 23:00ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:05RBG 214 Sohag 23:10QTR 1083 Doha 23:25

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Asked if they will be granted retroactive salaries forthe past two years, she said: “I am sure everyone in thegroup wants it. But, remember, we’ve been through alot, so let us start the job first. It is up to the ministry ofhealth if they are willing to compensate us for the lostyears. Our first salary will come in our banks by the endof January. We can now pay our debts and loans whichwe took from friends and family members.”

Out of a total of 80 nurses who were stranded inKuwait, 73 were officially employed by the ministry ofhealth, while the remaining seven either went back to

India for good or transferred to dependent visas. InAug 2018, Kuwait Times highlighted the ordeal of thesenurses. The nurses applied and got the job in India, andcame to Kuwait through legal means. However, afterarrival, the ministry questioned their documents. Thegroup of nurses, all with nursing qualifications fromIndia and recruited by health ministry officials, are liv-ing in government housing, but were unable to workpending verification of their certifications.

“We were a group of 80 Indian nurses who camedirectly from India (Bangalore, Cochin, Delhi andMumbai) and were hired directly by health ministry rep-resentatives after they held interviews from February toApril 2015,” a representative of the group had said. In2015, the ministry of health conducted interviews andexams in India and around 1,500 nurses were hired andissued temporary visas that allowed them to enterKuwait. The 80 nurses were part of that batch.

73 stranded Indian nurses...


acknowledged that there is a threat to Turkey fromterrorists and we will be very supportive.”

Before meeting officials in Iraqi Kurdistan - whoseforces have also been key allies in the fight against IS -Pompeo visited Baghdad where he sought to reassureIraqi officials that Washington remained committed tofighting the Islamic State group. Pompeo’s unan-nounced visit comes less than two weeks after Trumpdrew criticism for failing to meet a single Iraqi officialduring a surprise Christmas trip to US troops at an airbase in western Iraq.

The US top diplomat is in the Middle East to urgeallies to continue to confront the “significant threats”posed by Iran and militants despite Trump’s shockdecision last month to pull all US troops from Syria. InBaghdad, Pompeo met a raft of senior officials includingPrime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi and PresidentBarham Saleh. He underlined “US support for the newIraqi government’s efforts to deliver stability, securityand prosperity to all Iraqis,” a US official said. Pompeoalso “discussed the recent territorial defeat of ISIS inSyria and the continuation of our cooperation withIraqi Security Forces to ensure ISIS’s lasting defeatthroughout the region”.

Saleh said that Baghdad wanted Washington toremain engaged. “We will need the support of the US,”he said, expressing “gratitude to the US for supportover the years”. “ISIS is defeated militarily, but (the)mission is not accomplished,” Saleh added, using analternative acronym for IS. Pompeo later headed toCairo on the next leg of his longest trip since takingoffice last year, with further stops planned in Manama,

Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat and Kuwait City.Trump used his lightning Dec 26 visit to Iraq - his

first to US troops in a conflict zone since being elected- to defend his Syria withdrawal plans and declare anend to America’s role as the global “policeman”. Hecaused a political storm when he announced the trooppullout, claiming IS had been defeated despite contin-ued deadly fighting between US-backed forces and themilitants in eastern Syria.

Trump has since rowed back, vowing the withdrawalwill be done in a “prudent” way. Members of hisadministration have gone further, saying that the time-line of any pullout remains dependent on events on theground. There are many in Iraq, particularly pro-Iranfactions, who would like an accelerated timetable for aUS withdrawal from Iraq too. But Trump has stressedthat he expects US troops to remain in Iraq, fromwhere they can carry out operations in neighboringSyria if necessary.

Iraq declared victory over IS in Dec 2017, but themilitants retain a network of sleeper cells in major citiesand continue to conduct hit-and-run attacks frommountain or desert hideouts. On Tuesday, a car bombkilled two people in the city of Tikrit, north of the capi-tal, police said. The Trump administration’s insistenceon treating Tehran as a threat as big or even biggerthan IS also poses major difficulties for Iraq.

Since the 2003 US-led invasion, Tehran has become apolitical force in Iraq with influence rivalling that ofWashington. Iran too provided support for Iraq’s fight-back against the militants after they advanced to withinstriking distance of the capital in 2014. And Iraq hasdeveloped a dependency on imports from its easternneighbor that is difficult to break. Washington has grant-ed Baghdad waivers from the crippling unilateral sanc-tions it reimposed on Tehran last year after Trump pulledout of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal agreed by hispredecessor Barack Obama. Pompeo and the Iraqi primeminister discussed yesterday “US support for Iraq’senergy independence,” the US official said. — AFP

Pompeo makesreassurance...


“Unfortunately, two things caught in the middle aresecuring our borders, and the men and women in feder-al government,” he added.

One possible if temporary solution is individuallyfunding parts of the government that are currentlywithout money - action that James Clyburn, a topHouse Democrat, said would get underway yesterdayin the Democratic-controlled chamber. But there wasno indication the legislation would be brought to avote in the Republican-held Senate, much less signedby the president.

In his Oval Office address, Trump, apparently hopingto claim the moral high ground, said he wanted tobridge the political divide in what could be the definingpower struggle of his turbulent presidency. “I haveinvited congressional leadership to the White Housetomorrow to get this done. Hopefully, we can rise abovepartisan politics in order to support national security,”he said. Despite the softer tone, Trump also spent muchof the speech doubling down on his controversial mes-sage - popular among his right-wing base - that illegalimmigration at the US-Mexican border puts Americanlives in danger.

“How much more American blood must we shedbefore Congress does its job? For those who refuse tocompromise in the name of border security, I would askto imagine if it was your child, your husband, or yourwife whose life was so cruelly shattered and totallybroken,” he said. In an instant rebuttal, Democraticleader Nancy Pelosi said the real problem was Trump’s

“cruel and counter-productive policies” that have madethe border ever more dangerous for vulnerablemigrants, including young families.

Fact-checking teams at US media outlets quicklytook issue with a number of Trump’s assertions - forinstance, his vastly overstated claim that every day USagents at the border with Mexico “encounter thou-sands of illegal immigrants trying to enter our country.”Also wrong were Trump’s assertions that 90 percent ofthe heroin entering the US crosses over from Mexicoand that Mexico, indirectly, via a new trade agreementwith the US and Canada, would end up paying for awall, the Times said.

Salaries for large numbers of employees were put onhold when Trump refused to sign government spendingbills as a way of trying to strongarm the Democrats intofunding his wall. Pelosi, who is speaker of the House,accused Trump of “holding the American peoplehostage”. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in theSenate, accused Trump of governing “by tempertantrum” and using government workers “for leverage”.

There had been speculation that Trump might giveway in parts of his speech, for example lowering thesticker price for the wall, or offering Democrats flexibili-ty on other areas of immigration policy. He didn’t.However, it was also significant that he did not announcea national emergency, on the theory he could then usemilitary construction money to build the wall, circum-venting the Congress. Democrats and some Republicanswarned that this would be seen as a dangerous escala-tion of the row and would be challenged in court.

Trump will follow up his speech with a rare trip tothe Mexico border today, but showed little enthusiasmfor either the Oval Office speech or the border trip dur-ing an off-the-record lunch Tuesday with televisionanchors, The New York Times reported. “It’s not goingto change a damn thing, but I’m still doing it,” Trumpsaid of the border visit, according to the Times. — AFP

Cornered Trump running out of...

RIYADH: OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia said yesterday thatits huge oil reserves, already the second largest in theworld behind only Venezuela, are even bigger than previ-ously thought. The energy ministry said proven oil reservesstood at 263.2 billion barrels at the end of last year, up fromthe figure of 261 billion barrels that has been used foralmost three decades. The kingdom has another 2.9 billionbarrels of crude in a border zone shared with neighboringKuwait, bringing total oil reserves to 266.1 billion barrels,the ministry said.

Natural gas reserves also grew from 8.56 trillion cu mto 9.2 trillion cu m, the ministry said. It said the new figureshave been backed by an independent third-party certifica-tion by leading consultants DeGolyer and MacNaughton(D&M). Saudi Arabia is the world’s top oil exporter. It isthe third biggest producer after the United States andRussia with around 10.6 million barrels per day. EnergyMinister Khalid Al-Falih said Saudi oil remains among thecheapest in the world to extract, at only $4 a barrel.

Falih also said Saudi Arabia will slash its oil exports inJanuary by 10 percent compared to November as produc-ers move to shore up tumbling prices. Falih said the king-dom, the world’s top crude supplier, would cut its exportsto 7.2 million barrels per day in January, down from 8.0million bpd in November. He also announced a further

100,000 bpd cut in February. OPEC and its allies decidedlast month to cut their overall output by 1.2 million bpdstarting in January, to boost prices hit by a supply glut andfears demand could plummet.

Falih said Saudi production had fallen to 10.2 millionbpd, down from the roughly 11 million bpd it was pumpingwhen oil producers decided to end a production cut deal inMay. “We are serious about restoring balance to the mar-ket,” Falih told a press conference in Riyadh held toannounce that the kingdom’s vast oil reserves are even big-ger than previously thought. “We are concerned aboutvolatility in the oil market,” he said. “We have seen peaksand drops in prices (that are) completely unjustified by thefundamentals.”

After Brent crude hit $85 a barrel in early October,prices dived more than 40 percent over the following twomonths due to oversupply and fears of a trade warbetween the United States and China that could slashenergy demand. But prices have partially rebounded in thepast few days after a new deal, in which OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers agreed to trim output by 1.2 millionbpd, came into effect in January. That figure is “more thansufficient to bring balance to the market,” said Falih, addingthat the production cut would trim excess supply from themarket. — AFP

Saudi Arabia says vast oil reserves bigger than thought

Kingdom to slash oil exports after price slide: Minister

RIYADH: Saudi Energy Minister Khaled Al-Faleh speaks at a press conference at the King Abdullah PetroleumStudies and Research Center yesterday. — AFP

BANGKOK: The UN has said an 18-year-old Saudiwoman who fled her family is a legitimate refugeeand has asked Australia to resettle her, Canberrasaid yesterday, as the Twitter-led campaign to granther asylum edged towards resolut ion. RahafMohammed Al-Qunun was stopped by authorities atBangkok’s main airport as she arrived on a flightfrom Kuwait at the weekend after running away fromher family, who she says subjected her to physicaland psychological abuse.

Thailand initially said it would deport her at therequest of Saudi embassy officials, barring her fromtravelling on to Australia where Qunun said she hadintended to claim asylum. But armed with a phone, shebarricaded herself into an airside hotel room andfought back - live-tweeting her fears of deportation ina campaign that swiftly galvanized international sup-port and prompted a sharp U-turn by Thai officials.

Qunun is now in the care of the UN’s refugeeagency in Bangkok, which is processing her case. “TheUNHCR has referred Ms Rahaf Mohammed Al-Qununto Australia for consideration for refugee resettle-ment,” Australia’s Department of Home Affairs con-firmed in a statement. The department said it would“consider this referral in the usual way, as it does withall UNHCR referrals”. Australian officials have stronglyhinted that Qunun’s request will be accepted. “If she isfound to be a refugee, then we will give very, very, veryserious consideration to a humanitarian visa,” healthminister Greg Hunt had said before the UN determina-tion was public.

Qunun’s desperate tweets ricocheted across socialmedia with the #SaveRahaf hashtag drawing an out-pouring of support but also the bile of some hardlinersin her native country. She only joined the social mediasite at the start of this month but has quickly rackedup more than 100,000 followers. Phil Robertson ofHuman Rights Watch said Qunun had renouncedIslam, which puts her at “serious risk” of prosecutionin Saudi Arabia.

Her father and brother arrived in Bangkok onTuesday, but Qunun “refused to see” them, according

to Thai immigration police chief Surachate Hakparn,who has been caught up in the international firestormsince Qunun’s arrival. The father met with the UNHCRyesterday morning and spoke with Surachate in theafternoon for an hour, the immigration head said at apress conference. He denied abusing or threateningher, and told Surachate that Qunun had “freedom”.

“He wants to take his daughter back home, hermother fell sick after hearing her daughter ran away,”Surachate said. Qunun’s father told the UNHCR abouthis objections to her fleeing and would remain inThailand until a decision was made, Surachate said,adding that this might come today. A UNHCR repre-sentative told AFP “the process is still ongoing”. OnSunday Qunun told AFP her family was “abusive” andonce locked her in a room for six months just for cut-ting her hair.

Fleeing them while travelling in Kuwait throws herinto conflict with Saudi Arabia’s “guardianship” sys-tem, which allows male family members to make deci-sions on behalf of female relatives, she said. Thatmakes it “100 percent” certain she would be killed byher family if she was returned to Saudi, she added.Footage released by Thai immigration showedAbdulilah Al-Shouaibi, Saudi embassy charge d’af-faires in Bangkok, complaining in a meeting Tuesdaywith Surachate that Qunun’s smartphone should havebeen confiscated.

“When she arrived, she opened a new (Twitter)account and her followers grew to 45,000 in one day,”he said in Arabic. “It would have been better if they hadconfiscated her mobile instead of her passport.” TheSaudi embassy in Bangkok said it “did not demand herdeportation” and that the case was “a family affair”.

By yesterday afternoon, Qunun had returned toposting updates on Twitter, promising to “broadcastcontinuously to assure” the public of her condition. “Ihave prepared my strength and will continue my jour-ney to reach a safe country,” she tweeted in Arabic.“Don’t let anyone break your wings, you’re free,” shetweeted in English. “fight and get your RIGHTS!”

Amnesty International’s Middle East director ofcampaigns Samah Hadid said Rahaf’s story “became aninspiration to millions worldwide”, but added thatThailand has often “breached their responsibilities” toasylum seekers and refugees. “The humanity shown toRahaf must not be a one-off,” said Hadid.Ultraconservative Saudi Arabia has come under firesince the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in thecountry’s consulate in Istanbul last year. — AFP

UN asks Australia to consider teen for ‘resettlement’

OSLO: Police say a ransom demand has been receivedfor the missing wife of a Norwegian multi-millionaire10 weeks after she disappeared on Halloween, a seniorofficer said yesterday. Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik Hagen,68, married to a real estate and energy magnate, disap-peared on October 31, police said. Detectives had beeninvestigating the case discreetly for several weeks butdecided to make it public yesterday in the hope thatsomeone would come forward with information. “Aransom demand and serious threats have been issued,”Inspector Tommy Broske told reporters.

“Our main theory is that the victim was kidnappedby unidentified perpetrators at her home” inLorenskog, about 20 km from Oslo, he said. Theauthorities had received no sign of life from the woman,“but we haven’t received any indication that she isn’talive either”, Broske said. Investigators said they hadno suspects at this stage.

According to daily Verdens Gang, the ransomdemand was for nine million euros ($10.3 million) in thecryptocurrency Monero. Cryptocurrencies are hard totrace. Police refused to confirm the sum but said they

had advised the family not to pay. Such incidents areextremely rare in the wealthy Scandinavian country,which enjoys a generally low crime rate. Broske saidinvestigators had had “very limited” contacts with theself-described kidnappers online, but refused to dis-close the date of the most recent contact.

A housewife, Hagen is married to Tom Hagen, also68 and Norway’s 172nd richest man, according to themagazine Kapital, with an estimated fortune of 1.7 bil-lion kroner ($200 million). The real estate investorowns 70 percent of electricity company Elkraft, whichhe co-founded in 1992, Norwegian media reported.The parents of three adult children, the couple lived aquiet, retiring life in an elegant but understated home,now blocked off by police tape.

While he keeps a low profile, Tom Hagen has beenthe subject of news articles about his business success.A lawyer for the family said they had not paid the ran-som. “The family decided to follow the police advice,”Svein Holden told reporters. “There’s no doubt that forthe family, Anne-Elisabeth’s kidnapping is a horribleand inhumane act,” he said, expressing hopes thatnews of her disappearance would lead to some kind ofsign that she is alive.

According to VG, a note written in poorNorwegian was left at Hagen’s home warning thatshe would die if police were involved in her disap-pearance. Investigators refused to comment on thatreport, but said international police were cooperatingon the case. — AFP

Ransom demand for Norway millionaire’s missing wife: Police

SYDNEY: World number one Simona Halep’s prepa-rations for next week’s Australian Open suffered ahuge setback yesterday when she was bundled out ofthe Sydney International, along with fourth seedSloane Stephens.

The Romanian hadn’t played since withdrawing fromthe WTA Finals in October with a herniated disc, andwas no match for fast-rising Australian Ashleigh Barty,who scored the biggest win of her career 6-4, 6-4.

Halep, the reigning French Open champion and 2018Australian Open runner-up, had a bye through to thesecond round, meaning she heads to Melbourne Parkfor the opening Grand Slam of the year with just onegame under her belt.

“It was a great match after almost four months (sincethe last one). I think I played a good level of tennis but Ihad no inspiration in some important points,” she said.“She played really well and deserved to win. But I wasalso very close to winning.

“No pain at all, that is a great sign,” she added of herback. “The tennis is good, I just have to believe inmyself more.” Barty, who ended a breakthrough 2018with a WTA title in Zhuhai and is now ranked 15,brought the momentum into the new year and is now inthe quarter-finals, where she will meet either Belgian10th seed Elise Mertens or Estonian Anett Kontaveit.

She had already accounted for another French Openwinner, Jelena Ostapenko, in the opening round and hadan extra gear against Halep, breaking serve twice towin the first set.

Halep, without a coach after splitting with DarrenCahill who wanted to spend more time with his family,was first to break in the second set and had a chance to

hold for 5-3. But Barty was undaunted, using her signa-ture court craft to break straight back and secure vic-tory two games later.

“It was extremely difficult conditions, very swirlydown at court level. So I figured if I’m going to play Simanytime, and it’s her first match, it was now. I was veryhappy to make the most if it,” said Barty.

“I had nothing to lose out here so I just came outand played with freedom. I believed I could win.”

Earlier in the week, Halep admitted the back injurythat ended her 2018 season early was “very scary”.The early finish to 2018 was a disappointing end to aspectacular season, which saw the 27-year-old securethe year-end number one ranking for the second yearrunning.

American world number five Stephens was anothercasualty. She narrowly escaped defeat in the firstround, and slumped out to Kazak qualifier YuliaPutintseva 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-0, meekly surrendering inthe final set.

In other matches yesterday, Switzerland’s TimeaBacsinszky beat Australia’s Sam Stosur 5-7, 6-4, 6-3and will meet Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in thelast eight.

In the men’s draw, third seeded Argentine DiegoSchwartzman booked his place in the quarters by beat-ing Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in two sets. He willnext face Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka.

Veteran Italian Andreas Seppi is also through tomeet top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, while fifthseeded Alex De Minaur set up an all-Australian lasteight tie with Jordan Thompson. France’s Gilles Simonwill take on another Australian, John Millman. — AFP

Magnificent seven beckonsfor Federer, DjokovicMELBOURNE: Thirtysomethings Roger Federer and Novak Djokovicshare the Australian Open record with six wins, but either could makehistory with a magnificent seventh when the first Grand Slam of theyear begins in Melbourne on Monday.

The pair face a stern challenge from youthful force AlexanderZverev, looking for a first major as the torch-bearer for the next gener-ation. But there are question marks over the fitness of Rafael Nadal andAndy Murray, meaning it remains to be seen if all members of the “BigFour” will again prove a force to be reckoned with.

Twelve months ago Federer rolled back the years once more at theRod Laver Arena to beat Marin Cilic in five pulsating sets and lift anemotional 20th Grand Slam. It put him on a par with other six-timeAustralian Open winners Djokovic and Roy Emerson-but the Australiangreat’s victories all came before the Open era.

By contrast, the 31-year-old Djokovic endured a miserable earlyMelbourne exit, followed by elbow surgery and a string of disappoint-ing results that saw him drop outside the top 20. But since winning afourth Wimbledon in July the Serb rose inexorably back to numberone by losing only three further matches-one of which was to Zverevat the ATP Finals.

Djokovic won his third US Open in September to put him on 14Grand Slams-three behind Nadal and six behind Federer. AgelessSwiss master Federer, now 37, will remain a chief threat to the Serbbut the other two members of the Big Four look to be struggling afteran injury-plagued 2018.

Second-ranked Nadal, 32, pulled out of his Brisbane warm-uptournament with a thigh strain although he returned for an exhibitionin Sydney and insisted he was healthy. Murray, 31, looked way belowhis best in a second-round straight-sets Brisbane defeat to DaniilMedvedev.

“I think if we are healthy and playing well, the four guys still haveprobably the best chance to always win Slams,” said Djokovic. TheSerb warned however that “the next generation is already there” andpicked young guns Zverev of Germany, Borna Coric of Croatia, KarenKhachanov of Russia and Greece’s Stefano Tsitsipas as key threats tothe Big Four, who have won a staggering 49 of the last 56 GrandSlams stretching back to 2004.

“It’s just a matter of time when we will see some of them compet-ing in the last stages of Grand Slams,” said Djokovic. Zverev, 21, startsthe Australian Open full of confidence after an impressive warm-up inPerth’s mixed teams Hopman Cup, despite his terrible record atGrand Slams.

The German has never got beyond the third round in Melbourne.Last year, seeded four, he crashed out in the last 32 to South Korea’s

Chung Hyeon and has only reached one quarter-final in his 14 majorappearances.

Federer seems to thrive at the start of the year and begins his cam-paign on the back of winning the Hopman Cup. He is hunting a thirdsuccessive Australian Open after last year becoming the oldest worldnumber one in the 45-year history of the ATP rankings.

“(Pete) Sampras once upon a time said, ‘If you win a Slam, it’s agood season’,” said Federer, now ranked three, who skipped RolandGarros and had disappointing exits at Wimbledon and the US Open.

“I played super well in Australia again. So obviously I can’t wait togo back there. I’m very proud that at 37 I’m still so competitive.”Murray’s hip surgery meant he played just six events in 2018, andNadal’s truncated 2018 campaign was bookended by injuries thatforced to him to retire in both the Australian and US Opens.

But the Spanish king of clay still managed to win five titles includinga record-extending 11th French Open. World number five ArgentineJuan Martin del Potro, beaten by Djokovic in the US Open final, willmiss Melbourne after fracturing his patella in Shanghai in October.

And Cilic, who pushed Federer all the way in the final last year,heads into the tournament after pulling out of a warm-up event in Indialast week with an injured knee. Home fans will look to Alex de Minaurand Nick Kyrgios, but the latter is searching for form after a troubled2018 and tumbled out of the Brisbane warm-up, where he was defend-ing champion, in the second round. — AFP

BERLIN: After a unified Korean women’s ice-hockey team became a feature of last year’sWinter Olympics, a men’s team of North andSouth Korean players is an unknown factor fortoday’s opening game of the world handballchampionships.

A unified Korean team, with four playersfrom the communism-ruled North added tothe 16-strong squad of South Korea players,face Germany, the co-hosts alongsideDenmark, when the 2019 World Men’sHandball Championships opens in Berlin today.

The unified Korean women’s ice hockeyteam was a colourful attraction at the 2018Pyeongchang Winter Olympics despite losingall their games and finishing last. Likewise, themen’s handball team is not expected to survivethe group stages at the 2019 finals, contestedby 24 teams.

However, the significance of a unified teamplaying in Germany’s capital, which celebratesthe 30th anniversary of the fall of the BerlinWall this November, is not lost on the Koreans.“With the fall of the Wall, one went on the pathof peace. We want to show, as a unified team,that we Koreans can also follow a similar

path,” said the team’s coach Cho Young-shin, aSouth Korean.

This will be Korea’s debut at a men’s worldchampionships and the opening match is a14,500-seater sell-out in Berlin with millionsexpected to tune in on television withGermany, a handball powerhouse, among thefavourites to win a fourth world title.

“This game is steeped in history and willbring a lot of attention to our sport,” beamedBob Hanning, vice-president of the GermanHandball Association (DHB). The Koreans havebeen granted special permission by theInternational Handball Federation (IHF) to com-pete and they are the only team allowed to have20 in their squad, four more than their rivals.

The idea is the brainchild of IHF presidentHassan Moustafa, who invited a unified Koreanteam after South Korea qualified for the worldchampionships by finishing third at the AsianCup. The full Korean team first set eyes oneach other just before Christmas on 22December in Berlin.

“At the first meeting, we were a bit out oftouch with one another”, admitted team cap-tain Jung Su-young, but his North Korean

team-mate Ri Song Jin said the ice was brokenat an evening team-building event, “since thenwe are connected by friendship”.

At least one North Korean player will fea-ture in each of their five preliminary roundgames. The Koreans are in Group A, along-side reigning world champions France andEuropean powerhouses Russia, Germany andSerbia.

The team will play under the blue and whiteflag showing a unified Korea and are anunknown factor for the Germans, who hadproblems getting video footage of the NorthKoreans to analyse. “They play a fast ballgame and are tactically very disciplined. Theywill be a hard test for us,” said German headcoach Christian Prokop.

Goalkeeper Silvio Heinevetter expects atough afternoon after Germany struggled tobeat South Korea four years ago, “it wasextremely unpleasant-these little fast guys arenot as bad as you’d think.”

The IHF invited both German ChancellorAngela Merkel and North Korea’s leader KimJong Un to the opening match, but neither areexpected the attend. Instead, guests of hon-our will be Germany’s president Frank-WalterSteinmeier and Thomas Bach, president of theInternational Olympic Committee (IOC), akeen observer with North and South Koreahaving agreed to bid for the 2032 OlympicGames. — AFP

S p o r t s Thursday, January 10, 2019

25

Halep and Stephens bundled out in Sydney International

Timea beat Australia’s Sam Stosur to meet Sasnovich in the last eight

Established 1961

Seeds tumblein Auckland asbrave Ferrerlimps outWELLINGTON: Top seed John Isnercrashed out of the Auckland Classicyesterday while a calf injury dashedfour-time champion David Ferrer’shopes of a fairytale final appearance inNew Zealand.

Isner was sent packing after fellowAmerican Taylor Fritz held his nerve intwo tie-breaks to win 7-6 (7/3), 7-6(7/5), while compatriot TennysSandgren brushed aside third seedMarco Cecchinato of Italy 6-3, 6-3.

Second seed Fabio Fognini narrowlyavoided the same fate, with German’sPeter Gojowczyk taking the match to athird-set tie-break before the Italianprevailed 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5).

The draw-already weakened by thewithdrawal of defending championRoberto Bautista Agut, Tomas Berdychand Gael Monfils-now has only twoseeds remaining in Fognini and PabloCarreno Busta of Spain.

Carreno Busta had an armchair rideinto the quarter-finals when Ferrersuccumbed to injury just three gamesinto their match. Former world numberthree Ferrer has retired from GrandSlams but is making a few appearancesat his favourite ATP tournaments in2019, with Auckland first on the list.

The 36-year-old looked sharp

against his fellow Spaniard and theywere one game apiece before Ferrertwisted his leg while hitting a cross-court forehand. He tried to continuewith strapping on his calf, managing towin a point on serve before reluctantlycalling it quits.

Ferrer received a standing ovationat the tournament he described as “asecond home” and said he was sorryhis dream of winning a record fifth titlewas over. “Of course it’s disappointingbut don’t worry because I’ve had verygood memories here, I’m very proud”he told the crowd.

“Remember, I won the last point,”he joked before limping off centrecourt. Isner, a two-time champion inAuckland, received a bye into the sec-ond round because of his seeding andlooked rusty as his booming servefailed to dominate Fritz.

“It feels great. John’s beat me twicebefore and I really wanted to get thewin on him” Fritz said after downingthe world number 10. “We had a lot ofclose points... I like to thing one of thestrengths of my game is playing underpressure and handling those bigmoments well.”

Elsewhere, Germany’s PhilippKohlschreiber defeated Ugo Humbert ofFrance 6-4, 6-4 to set up a quarter-finalagainst Fognini. Britain’s CameronNorrie beat Joao Sousa of Portugal 7-6(7/5), 6-4 and Argentinian LeonardoMeyer came from behind to down Italy’sMatteo Berrettini 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.

Hometown hope Rubin “Jose”Statham’s campaign ended when theNew Zealander fell to Jan-LennardStruff of Germany 6-2, 6-1. — AFP

SYDNEY: Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan hits a return to Sloane Stephens of the US in their women’s singles secondround match at the Sydney International tennis tournament in Sydney yesterday. — AFP

Novak Djokovic

Trick servegives Tomicadvantage over KyrgiosMELBOURNE: Bernard Tomic won thebattle of Australia’s tennis bad boys with acomical trick serve through his legs at theKooyong Classic yesterday, as he andopponent Nick Kyrgios both talked uptheir chances at the Australian Open.

The world number 83’s good-natured6-3, 6-4 victory over his longtime friendKyrgios ended with a flourish when hesent down the sneaky serve, while bounc-ing another ball, on match point. It caughtthe relaxed Kyrgios completely off guard,and left him laughing and shaking his head.

The collegial battle between the twoshowmen, who have both struggled withmotivational difficulties, was a crowdpleaser and they were happy afterwardsto talk up their chances at the openingGrand Slam of the year next week.

“We’ve both made deep runs at theOpen,” said Kyrgios, pointing to his 2015quarter-final and Tomic’s three fourthrounds. “It’s looking good for Australia, wehave a lot of players, all playing with dif-ferent style, but looking strong.”

As for his own chances at his homeSlam, Kyrgios had limited advice. “I guessit’s not doing what I’ve been doing,” said aplayer who quit the 2018 season inOctober with an elbow injury and thenplayed basketball and worked with hischarity in the off-season.

“Maybe when I reach the second weekof a major, I just play better. I have to raisemy game and play better at the end of theday. “I’ve been doing all the right things fornext week, ticked all the boxes, got thebody right.

“I feel like a veteran at this stage, I justneed to make sure the body is right.” LikeKyrgios, now ranked 51, Tomic has fallen inand out of love with the sport. A year ago,he could not even qualify for MelbournePark, advising media after a loss that hecould be found “counting my millions.”

That bad attitude lasted through hisaborted three-day run in the South Africanjungle in an Aussie celebrity survival seriesa month later. Chastened somewhat, Tomicbegan to rebuild his game last season,winning his first title since 2015 atChengdu last September and he appearsto be carrying that momentum forward.

“I’m just doing what I need to do.My attitude to tennis is the samewhether I won or lose,” he said. “Mytarget is to make another Grand Slamquarter-final, maybe even a semi. I needto be healthy to have a good year. I’mokay now (with tennis).” —AFP

Unified Korea men’s handball teamkeep rivals guessing at world champs

TAMPA BAY: Brayden Point had two goals and anassist Tuesday, and newly named All-Star AndreiVasilevskiy made 31 saves for his second shutout of theseason as the Tampa Bay Lightning started a new pointsstreak with a 4-0 victory against the visiting ColumbusBlue Jackets. Mathieu Joseph and Nikita Kucherov alsoscored for the Lightning, who had their 16-game pointstreak snapped Saturday with a 5-2 loss at San Jose.Tampa Bay improved to 11-0-0 this season againstteams from the Metropolitan Division. Earlier in the day,Vasilevskiy was added to the Atlantic Division roster forthe Jan. 26 NHL All-Star Game in San Jose as an injuryreplacement for Montreal’s Carey Price. Vasilevskiy willjoin Lightning teammates Kucherov and Steven Stamkoson the Atlantic Division squad. Columbus goaltenderSergei Bobrovsky stopped 15 of 19 shots before he wasreplaced in the third period. Joonas Korpisalo stoppedall three shots he faced in relief.

BRUINS 4, WILD 0Tuukka Rask made 24 saves for the shutout, and

Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand each had threepoints as Boston shut down visiting Minnesota. TheBruins extended their winning streak to a season-highfive games, and they won for the 16th time in 21 homegames this season. Minnesota’s three-game winningstreak and four-game unbeaten streak in road gamescame to an end. Just 24 hours removed from a game inMontreal, the Wild came out flat against the Bruins, par-ticularly in a first period in which the Wild allowed threegoals and were outshot 15-6.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4, RANGERS 2Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 27 shots to pick up his

league-leading 25th victory, and Brandon Pirri scored

his seventh goal in eight games to lead host Vegas to itsseventh straight victory, a win over New York in LasVegas. Cody Eakin, Jonathan Marchessault and RyanCarpenter also scored goals for Vegas, which moved intoa tie with idol Calgary for first place in the PacificDivision. Mika Zibanejad scored his 12th goal of the sea-son and Jesper Fast netted his sixth for New York.Alexandar Georgiev had 27 saves for the Rangers, wholost their fourth straight game, getting outscored 22-5during that span.

SHARKS 7, OILERS 2Evander Kane and Joonas Donskoi each scored twice

as host San Jose walloped Edmonton. Aaron Dell neededonly 20 saves to record the Sharks’ fourth consecutivewin. San Jose defenseman Erik Karlsson collected threeassists to extend his franchise-record point streak to 14games, during which he has one goal and 24 assists.Brent Burns had a goal and an assist, and MarcusSorensen and Joe Thornton also scored for the Sharks.Alex Chiasson and Milan Lucic netted the goals forEdmonton, which fell to 2-8-0 in its past 10 games.

SABRES 5, DEVILS 1Jeff Skinner recorded his 29th tally in an explosive

five-goal second period as host Buffalo defeated NewJersey. The Sabres winger trails only Washington’s AlexOvechkin for the league lead in goals. Skinner tied thegame early in the middle period, and C.J. Smith andCasey Mittelstadt made it 3-1 as Buffalo took full control.Jake McCabe scored a short-handed goal, andLawrence Pilut sniped in a goal to round out the period’sscoring. Blake Coleman scored a goal, and Keith Kinkaidmade 28 saves for the Devils, who lost their secondstraight and finished 1-3-0 on a road trip.

JETS 7, AVALANCHE 4Blake Wheeler had a goal and three assists, and Mark

Scheifele and Jacob Trouba each had a goal and twoassists as host Winnipeg beat Colorado. Mathieu Perreault,Kyle Connor, Bryan Little and Andrew Copp also had goalsfor the Jets, who won their sixth straight home game

against the Avalanche. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 36shots to improve to 6-1-2 all-time against Colorado. GabeLandeskog scored twice, Carl Soderberg had a goal andan assist, and Ryan Graves also scored for the Avalanche.Philipp Grubauer made 14 saves for Colorado, which hasgone 1-5-2 in its past eight games. — Reuters

England cricketboss Giles targetsWorld Cup, Ashes doubleLONDON: England’s new director of cricketAshley Giles said yesterday he believes a WorldCup and Ashes double is possible for his side thisyear. England are currently top of the global 50-over rankings and will head into a home WorldCup that starts in May as one of the favourites towin a trophy they have never lifted.

After that tournament, they defend the Ashes ina five-Test series, also on home soil, against arch-rivals Australia. It will be the first time the twoevents have taken place in the same country in thesame year since the inaugural 1975 men’s WorldCup in England.

Asked which he would rather win, Giles, mostrecently head of sport at Warwickshire-the countyhe represented during his career as an Englandleft-arm spinner-told Sky Sports at Lord’s: “I’llhave both thanks.

“This year represents a great opportunity forus to do something really special but at themoment that’s all it is. “The train is moving at ahell of a pace down the tracks for the WorldCup but my role is to make sure we stay ontrack and there’s nothing there ahead of us thatcan derail us.

“We’ve probably never been in such a strongposition to challenge for both,” he added, withEngland second only to India in the Test standings.

Giles is filling a vacancy left by the departure ofAndrew Strauss. The former England captainstood down after his wife, Ruth, was diagnosedwith a rare form of cancer that eventually led toher death in December.

‘FEEL FOR STRAUSSY’ “Obviously, the circumstances of the position

becoming available are not great at all. I honestlyfeel for Straussy and the family,” said Giles. “Butthe opportunity for me was great heading into areally exciting year.

“Straussy has done a lot of good work. Heredressed that balance between white ball (limit-ed-overs) and red-ball cricket, which I think wasimportant and of late we’ve started to see the Testteam flourish as well.” Giles had an 18-month spellas England limited-overs coach that ended in ahumiliating defeat by minnows the Netherlands atthe 2014 World Twenty20 in Bangladesh. But hewas always confident of a return to the Englandand Wales Cricket Board set-up.

“I think I actually said at the time, I’d comeback and do this job, perhaps a bit flippantly,”

Giles explained. “I’ve always been driven to workat the highest level and test myself as much as Ican. I’m fully aware of the pressure that can comebut 2014 was a long time ago.”

One of Giles’s main tasks will be to find areplacement for current England coach TrevorBayliss, with the Australian stepping down at theend of the 2019 season. Giles said he remainedopen to the idea of having specialist Test and one-day coaches despite his own experience when heand Andy Flower split the jobs.

“The benefits of two coaches are clearly(sharing) the workload. The disadvantages aretwo different voices,” he explained. “I think wealways imagined when Andy and I took the roleson that we’d see two different squads develop-ing. We are actually seeing those squads cometogether now.” — AFP


26 Established 1961

Pucovski gets shockAustralia call-up as Marsh brothers dumpedSYDNEY: Young batting prodigy Will Pucovski was parachut-ed into the Australia squad for two Tests against Sri Lanka in ashock call-up yesterday, with veteran Shaun Marsh and hisbrother Mitch dumped.

Also axed from the 13-man squad after the humbling 2-1series defeat to India were underperforming opener Aaron Finchand middle-order batsman Peter Handscomb. In-form Joe Burnswas recalled for the first time since the South Africa tour earlylast year and could open the innings with rookie Marcus Harris,who did enough against India to keep his place.

But they face competition from Matt Renshaw, who has beenhanded another opportunity despite misfiring in the domesticSheffield Shield this season. Allrounder Marnus Labuschagnewas retained from the team that played the rain-affected drawnTest in Sydney this week, as was Travis Head.

Selectors also kept faith with their pace attack of MitchellStarc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, with veteran PeterSiddle also included. National selector Trevor Hohns said “thereis no doubt the India series produced some disappointingresults” and change was needed, after four Tests characterisedby the failure of any Australian batsmen to score a century.

“Ultimately Aaron, Peter, Shaun and Mitch have not producedthe performances expected of them with the bat at the Test lev-el,” he said. “They have been given a good opportunity, but havenot produced the scores we need.”

He added, however, that the door was not closed and theymust now prove themselves again in domestic cricket and theone-day series against India this month.

Pucovski was the surprise call-up. The 20-year-old is one ofthe brightest batting talents in the country, scoring a doublecentury for Victoria last year-the first Australian under 21 to doso since Ricky Ponting.

But he has only played eight first-class matches, and afterthat double ton took a break from cricket because of a mentalhealth issue. “Will Pucovski is an exciting young player who ismaking his mark in the Sheffield Shield. He is another player witha track record of making centuries,” said Hohns.

Despite his relative inexperience, Pucovski said he was readyto step up. “It is every kid’s dream. To think that in two weekstime there is a chance I would play for my country is amazing. Ican’t use words to describe it,” he told reporters.

“I can’t wait to get up there and in amongst it.” Burns, whohas played 14 Tests, has been knocking on the door this seasonwith Queensland, while Renshaw has been unlucky not to getanother call-up until now, since his last appearance atJohannesburg in 2018.

“We see him as a long-term prospect as a Test player andhave confidence in his ability to bounce back following a stringof low scores early in the Shield season,” said Hohns of the 22-year-old.

Renshaw, who has a century and three 50s from his 11 Tests,said he wanted to emulate the exploits of India’s rock-solidnumber three Cheteshwar Pujara.

“Everyone talks about (Virat) Kohli and (Ajinkya) Rahane, butPujara was unbelievable and showed how good he was mentallyto bat for so long,” he said. Burns, Renshaw and Pucovski will allplay for a Cricket Australia XI in a pink-ball match against SriLanka ahead of the Tests in preparation for the day-nighter inBrisbane from January 24. The second Test is in Canberra fromFebruary 1.

Australia squad: Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris,Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, MarnusLabuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Tim Paine (capt), Will Pucovski,Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

Cricket Australia XI: Joe Burns (capt), Kurtis Patterson,Scott Boland, Jake Doran, Jon Holland, Marnus Labuschagne,Michael Neser, Will Pucovski, Jason Sangha, Matt Renshaw,Chris Tremain. — AFP

LONDON: The new Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, at the ECB, Ashley Giles, poses fora photograph at Lords cricket ground in London yesterday. — AFP

Vasilevskiy, Lightning blank Jackets,Bruins shut out Wild, win 5th straight

Knights stay hot, drop struggling Rangers

WASHINGTON: Nolan Patrick #19 of the Philadelphia Flyers and Travis Boyd #72 of the Washington Capitals goafter the puck in the first period at Capital One Arena on Tuesday in Washington. — AFP

Cricket star Pandya’s ‘misogynist’ comments on women spark angerNEW DELHI: India cricket chiefs yesterday ordered star all-rounderHardik Pandya to explain sexist comments made on a TV chat show afterthe remarks sparked social media outrage and prompted the player toapologise.

Pandya said he “got a bit carried away” as he explained his braggingabout his prowess with women on the show that aired Sunday. Pandya andbatsman Lokesh Rahul, who also took part in the interview, have both beenordered to explain their comments. Both are currently on India’s tour ofAustralia.

“We have sent show cause notices to Hardik Pandya and K.L. Rahul fortheir comments,” Board of Control for Cricket in India administrator VinodRai was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency.

“They have been given 24 hours to give an explanation.” The announce-ment came only a few hours after the 25-year-old Pandya posted his apolo-gy on social media. “After reflecting on my comments on Koffee with Karan,I would like to apologise to everyone concerned who I may have hurt in anyway,” Pandya said on Twitter.

“Honestly, I got a bit carried away with the nature of the show. In no waydid I mean to disrespect or hurt anyone’s sentiments. Respect,” he added.The show hosted by Bollywood producer and director Karan Johar encour-ages guests to open up on personal matters.

Pandya, who was in the squad that beat Australia for the first time in anaway Test series, boasted about his success with multiple women. “You arejust watching and observing how they move as I said I am a little from theblack side (influenced by West Indies culture) so I have to see how they(women) move first,” he said.

Pandya also said he had bragged to his parents after losing his virginity.He was quickly slammed for his views on women. “#KoffeeWithCricketers

was just the worst episode. What’s up with all the #misogyny. Tired of thisboys will be boys attitude,” Ekta Chauhan, a Twitter user, wrote.

“To say the least #HardikPandya is horrendous a misogynist,” addedanother user who called for Indian cricket authorities to take action againstthe “obnoxious” comments. Pandya is still expected to play in three one-dayinternationals against Australia starting Saturday in Sydney.

Pandya and Rahul also caused a social media stir for comments on thesame show when they said current India skipper Virat Kohli was a betterbatsman than the country’s cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar. —AFP

AHMEDABAD: In this file photo taken on November 20, 2018 Indian cricketerHardik Pandya attends the launch of the Gulf Pride motorcyle batteries inAhmedabad. India all-rounder Hardik Pandya apologised yesterday for mak-ing sexist remarks on a TV chat show. — AFP


27

OKLAHOMA: Andrew Wiggins scored a season-high40 points as the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves beatthe Oklahoma City Thunder 119-117 on Tuesday night.It was Minnesota’s first game under interim coach RyanSaunders, who replaced Tom Thibodeau on the bench.Thibodeau was fired Sunday after the Timberwolves’home win over the Los Angeles Lakers. A Minnesotaturnover with 15.5 seconds left gave the Thunder onelast chance, but two Russell Westbrook 3-pointattempts missed the mark and Paul George’s despera-tion put-back went wide to give the Timberwolves theirthird consecutive win. The Timberwolves hit 32 of their40 free throws, with Oklahoma City making just 19 of26. Wiggins was 16 of 18 from the free throw line.

SUNS 115, KINGS 111Kelly Oubre Jr. scored a game-high 26 points, gave

Phoenix the lead with two free throws with 43.5 sec-onds remaining and added a dunk 32 seconds later in awin over visiting Sacramento after trailing by 19 pointsat halftime. Ben McLemore matched his season-highpoint total in the second quarter alone, contributing 11points to a 40-18 explosion that sent the Kings to a 72-53 halftime advantage. But the Suns outscored theKings 33-14 in the third quarter to even it up at 86-86,and finished the game on an 11-2 run after fallingbehind again by five with just 2:25 to play.

WARRIORS 122, KNICKS 95Klay Thompson connected on seven 3-pointers in a

43-point performance, helping Golden State send NewYork home after a shellacking in Oakland, Calif. KevinDurant had 24 points and Stephen Curry complemented14 points with a season-high 14 assists, enabling theWarriors to snap a three-game home losing streak.Thompson hit 18 of his 29 shots en route to his second40-point game of the season. He had a season-best 52 atChicago in October. Mario Hezonja scored a team-high19 points for the Knicks, who completed a 14-day, six-game trip with a fifth loss, their second in two nights.

NUGGETS 103, HEAT 99Nikola Jokic’s fourth triple-double of the season —

29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists-carried WesternConference-leading Denver to a win over host Miami.Jokic hit the go-ahead shot from the lane with 2.4 sec-onds left over the arms of backup center Bam Adebayo,who played great defense on the sequence. However,Jokic awkwardly floated his shot over Adebayo and hitnothing but net. Miami still had a chance to tie or goahead, but Kelly Olynyk’s inbounds pass was wild, lead-

ing to a turnover-just the Heat’s sixth in the game.

76ERS 132, WIZARDS 115Rookie Landry Shamet set career highs with eight

3-pointers and 29 points to carry host Philadelphia pastWashington. Shamet, whose previous career high was17 points, knocked down 8 of 14 shots from 3-pointrange to set a Sixers rookie record. His lone miss wasfrom inside the arc. Joel Embiid had 20 points and 10rebounds for his league-leading 35th double-doubleand ninth in a row. Jimmy Butler added 20 points whileBen Simmons contributed 17 points and nine assists.Furkan Korkmaz scored 16 points.

RAPTORS 104, HAWKS 101Kawhi Leonard made a key steal to set up the go-

ahead field goal in the final minute and he finished with31 points as Toronto defeated visiting Atlanta. KyleLowry added 16 points for the Raptors, while PascalSiakam had 13 points and 10 rebounds, OG Anunobyhad 14 points and Serge Ibaka 13. John Collins had 21points and 14 rebounds for the Hawks, and Jeremy Linadded 20 points. Trae Young had 19 points, DewayneDedmon 12 points and nine rebounds and DeAndre’Bembry 11 points.

PACERS 123, CAVALIERS 115Thaddeus Young matched his season best of 26

points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 23 as Indiana heldon for a victory over host Cleveland. Victor Oladipo tal-lied 17 points as the Pacers won for the 14th time in thepast 17 games. Domantas Sabonis added 15 points andnine rebounds and Cory Joseph scored 11 points.Jordan Clarkson scored 26 points and Alec Burksadded 19 as the Cavaliers dropped their 10th consecu-tive game. Tristan Thompson had 15 points and 13rebounds, Cedi Osman also scored 15, Collin Sextonhad 14 and Cameron Payne scored 10.

CLIPPERS 128, HORNETS 109Lou Williams had 27 points and 10 assists, and

Montrezl Harrell added 23 points as the bench led theway once again for Los Angeles in a victory over visit-ing Charlotte. The starters did their part, too, as TobiasHarris had 23 points and Danilo Gallinari added 20 tohelp the Clippers win a third consecutive game for thefirst time since a four-game winning streak to close outNovember. Malik Monk had 24 points and JeremyLamb scored 16 as the Hornets lost for the third time intheir past four games and the sixth time in their pastnine games. — Reuters

Wiggins scores 40 as Wolves edge Thunder, Suns stun Kings

Raptors, Leonard steal win against Hawks

OKLAHOMA CITY: Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots the ball against the Oklahoma CityThunder on Tuesday at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. — AFP

NBA results/standings

Eastern ConferenceW L PCT GB

Toronto 31 12 0.721 -Milwaukee 28 11 0.718 1Indiana 27 13 0.675 2.5Philadelphia 27 14 0.659 3Boston 24 15 0.615 5Miami 19 20 0.487 10Brooklyn 20 22 0.476 10.5Charlotte 19 21 0.475 10.5Detroit 17 21 0.447 11.5Orlando 17 23 0.425 12.5Washington 16 25 0.390 14Atlanta 12 28 0.300 17.5Chicago 10 30 0.250 19.5New York 10 31 0.244 20Cleveland 8 33 0.195 22

Western ConferenceDenver 27 12 0.692 -Golden State 27 14 0.659 1Oklahoma City 25 15 0.625 2.5LA Clippers 24 16 0.600 3.5Houston 23 16 0.590 4San Antonio 24 17 0.585 4Portland 24 17 0.585 4LA Lakers 22 19 0.537 6Sacramento 20 21 0.488 8Utah 20 21 0.488 8Minnesota 20 21 0.488 8New Orleans 19 22 0.463 9Memphis 18 22 0.450 9.5Dallas 18 22 0.450 9.5Phoenix 10 32 0.238 18.5

Golden State 122, New York 95; LA Clippers 128, Charlotte 109; Miami 99, Denver 103; Toronto 104, Atlanta 101; Phoenix 115, Sacramento111; Oklahoma City 117, Minnesota 119; Cleveland 115, Indiana 123; Philadelphia 132, Washington 115.

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

SPAIN COPA DEL REYAthletic de Bilbao v Sevilla FC 21:30beIN SPORTS HD 3Real Betis v Real Sociedad 22:30beIN SPORTS HD 5Levante v FC Barcelona 23:30beIN SPORTS HD 3

ASIAN NATIONS CUP 2019Bahrain v Thailand 14:00beIN SPORTSJordan v Syria 16:30beIN SPORTSIndia v United Arab Emirates 19:00beIN SPORTS

FIFA demands Bahraini refugee player be allowed back to AustraliaBANGKOK: International football’s governing body FIFAsays a Bahraini refugee player facing possible deportationfrom Thailand, should be freed and be allowed to return toAustralia to continue his career.

Thai authorities arrested Hakeem Al Araibi, who playsin Australia where he has refugee status, on arrival at aBangkok airport in November, based on an Interpol noticeissued at Bahrain’s request.

Al Araibi was convicted of vandalising a police stationin Bahrain and sentenced to 10 years in prison in absentia.He has denied any wrongdoing. “Following a renewedexchange with the Australian Football Federation, FIFA isagain calling for a humane and speedy resolution of thecase concerning the player Hakeem Al Araibi,” the organi-sation said in a statement yesterday.

“This player, a Bahrain national, is currently beingdetained in prison in Thailand awaiting the outcome ofextradition proceedings to Bahrain, where he was previ-ously convicted of a criminal offence, the validity of whichhe strongly contests,” continued the statement.

Al Araibi, who used to play for the Bahrain nationalteam, was granted refugee status in Australia in 2017 andnow plays for Melbourne club Pascoe Vale, a second tierclub. The player has been a vocal critic of the president ofthe Asian Football Confederation, Sheikh Salman BinEbrahim Al Khalifa, who is a cousin of the Bahraini king.

Sheikh Salman is senior vice-president of FIFA and ranfor president of the body in 2016, losing to current chiefGianni Infantino. During the campaign Sheikh Salman wasstrongly criticised by some human rights groups. Hedenied claims that he had been involved in investigatingand prosecuting athletes active in Bahrain’s democracyprotests in 2011.

“This situation should not have arisen, in particular,since Mr Al-Araibi now lives and works and plays as aprofessional footballer in Australia, where he has beenaccorded refugee status,” said FIFA. “FIFA is thereforecalling on all the relevant authorities (in Bahrain,—Reuters

LONDON: Mauricio Pochettino hailedTottenham’s growing maturity as HarryKane fired them a step closer to theLeague Cup final with a 1-0 win overChelsea in the semi-final first leg onTuesday. Pochettino’s side are chasing theirfirst trophy since winning the 2008 LeagueCup at the expense of Chelsea.

Kane’s first-half spot-kick, awarded viaVAR, settled a hard-fought encounter tokeep Tottenham on course for a firstLeague Cup final appearance since their2015 defeat against the Blues. That losswas one of several missed opportunities forPochettino to win the first silverware of hispromising managerial career.

This was an important step towardsending that drought. “We were very com-petitive. The effort was massive. Whetheror not we win titles, I’m so proud to havethis squad,” Pochettino said.

“We played one of the best teams inEurope. To win this type of game is anamazing experience for us to be moremature.” Pochettino challenged Tottenhamto finish the job in the second leg atStamford Bridge on January 24. “Of courseit is only half-time in the tie. We have onlya little advantage,” he said. “It is going tobe different in the second leg. We have toshow we can beat them there and go to thefinal.” It was another frustrating night for

Chelsea, who recovered from a sluggishstart to dominate the second half withoutturning their possession into goals-a famil-iar tale of woe for Maurizio Sarri’s men.

“We deserved more. We played betterthan them and were in control of thematch,” Sarri insisted. “I’m really disap-pointed with the result but really happywith the performance. It is one of the mostimportant performances of the season formy team.”

Kane was making his first League Cupstart in 1204 days, dating back to 2015.And he almost announced his return to thecompetition in spectacular fashion whenhis overhead kick from Kieran Trippier’scross forced Kepa Arrizabalaga into action.Tottenham were the more vibrant andcohesive force and their impactful startwas rewarded with Kane’s 27th-minuteopener. Kane’s well-timed run beat theChelsea offside trap and Kepa camehurtling off his line and clattered into thestriker. After a delay while VAR confirmedKane was onside, Oliver awarded a spot-kick and the England captain stepped upto smash his shot past Kepa for his 20thclub goal this season.

Kane’s seventh goal in his last sixappearances made him Tottenham’s fourthall-time highest scorer with 160. Chelseawent close to levelling when MarcosAlonso’s cross reached N’Golo Kante, whovolleyed against the near post from anacute angle.

Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi startedfor the second successive game as Sarritries to convince the 18-year-old Englishwinger to commit to the Blues amid reportsof a bid from Bayern Munich. Hudson-Odoi, who has 18 months remaining on hiscurrent contract, showed a flash of his

potential on the right flank, cutting insidefor a cross that deflected off Danny Roseand had to be tipped onto the woodworkby home goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.

With Alvaro Morata struggling with aninjury and Olivier Giroud also not fully fit,Sarri had resumed his experiment of play-ing Eden Hazard as his central striker. ButHazard, so influential on the flanks, hasexpressed some doubts about his suitabili-ty for the ‘false nine’ role and at times hewas rendered impotent by Chelsea’s failureto get him the ball in dangerous areas.

Kane, a natural centre forward, was farmore at home as the focal point of

Tottenham’s attacks and he almost doubledtheir lead soon after half-time with a fiercelong-range drive that Kepa pushed away.Kante responded with a powerful effort ofhis own, but Gazzaniga was equal to theFrance midfielder’s threatening strike.

Showing more poise as Hazard’s influ-ence finally grew, Chelsea had the better ofthe second half. Christensen should haveequalised from Ross Barkley’s flick, yet theDanish defender somehow prodded widefrom close range. Hazard conjuredChelsea’s last chance when Gazzanigaspilled his cross, but Alonso’s shot wasscrambled clear. — AFP

Kane spot on as Spurs downChelsea

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur’s English striker Harry Kane (C) vies with Chelsea’sItalian midfielder Jorginho (R) during the English League Cup semi-final first-legfootball match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium inLondon, on Tuesday. — AFP

TOKYO: Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta has apolo-gised after posting a photo on social media with twopeople in blackface as part of Epiphany celebrations.

The 34-year-old superstar who currently plays atJapan’s Vissel Kobe had no intention “to upset anyoneby displaying that photo,” according to a statement byhis agency sent to AFP yesterday.

“He would like to apologise to those people who mayhave felt offended,” the statement said. Iniesta’s pictureon Twitter and Instagram posted on Sunday showed hisfamily and a group of people in costumes, taking part inthe Three Kings Day, an important Christian festive tra-dition in Spain.

The January 6 holiday commemorates the visit ofmagi Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar to the newbornbaby Jesus. Large parades and other festivities are heldacross Spain featuring men dressed up as kings, withthe role of Balthazar often played by a white man-often

a city councillor-in black makeup.Madrid’s leftist mayor Manuela Carmena ended the

tradition in the Spanish capital in 2016 and the city nowemploys a black man to play the role in its Epiphanyparade, which is broadcast live across the country.

Iniesta, who lifted 32 major trophies and made 674appearances for Catalan giants Barca, joined VisselKobe in May, calling his J-League move an “importantcareer challenge”. The Spain icon’s decision to chooseVissel arguably represents Japanese football’s biggesttransfer coup, with many top players now moving tocash-rich Chinese clubs in the twilight of their careers.

It also came as a timely boost to the J-League, whichused to attract luminaries such as Brazilian great Zicoand former England star Gary Lineker when it began in1993, but has struggled to attract marquee players inrecent years. Iniesta-who famously scored Spain’s win-ning goal against the Netherlands in the 2010 WorldCup final-had been top of the wishlist of Vissel ownerHiroshi Mikitani. The billionaire businessman is also thefounder and CEO of Rakuten, Barcelona’s main spon-sor, and was heavily involved in the deal that broughtIniesta to Japan. In December 2017 Atletico Madrid’sFrench striker Antoine Griezmann apologised afterreceiving criticism on social media for posting a pic-

ture of himself on his official Twitter account dressedas a Harlem Globetrotter, covered in black paint andwearing a wig. — AFP

Iniesta apologises over blackface photo

Andres Iniesta

SportHalep and Stephens bundled out in Sydney International

England cricket boss Giles targets World Cup, Ashes double

Wiggins scores 40 as Wolves edge Thunder, Suns stun Kings2725 26

Established 1961


Japan survive scare against Turkmenistan Qatar, Uzbekistan get welcome win at Asian Cup

ABU DHABI: Lebanon’s defender George Felix Melki (L) fights for the ball with Qatar’s midfielder Abdelaziz Hatim during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup group E football match between Qatar and Lebanon at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi yesterday. — AFP

AL-AIN: Yuya Osako’s quickfire double spared Japan’sblushes against lowly Turkmenistan at the Asian Cup yes-terday, as 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar briefly lifted theclouds of the Gulf crisis with a 2-0 win over Lebanon.

Uzbekistan left it late before seeing off Oman 2-1 but itwas four-time champions Japan who had the biggest scareas they had to come from behind from a team ranked 127thin the world. Arslan Amanov’s first-half rocket raised theprospect of a titanic upset by Turkmenistan but Osako’sbrace restored order before Ritsu Doan appeared to makethe game safe.

However, Ahmet Atayev buried a penalty 11 minutesfrom time before Japan survived to win 3-2, a furtherreminder that the big teams have not had it all their ownway at this Asian Cup.

“The first match is always a bit special and we expecteda battle,” said Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu, who was

relieved to get off to a winning start in Group F.“Obviously we’re happy to get the three points but wehave a lot of things to work on for the next game.”

Earlier in the tournament’s opening group games,defending champions Australia were shocked 1-0 byJordan, South Korea laboured to a 1-0 win over thePhilippines and China needed an own goal to spark a 2-1comeback win against Kyrgyzstan.

The Blue Samurai have arguably the best pedigree inthe competition after reaching the last 16 of last year’sWorld Cup, and were not expected to be troubled byTurkmenistan. But Turkmen captain Amanov put theheavy underdogs ahead after 26 minutes in Abu Dhabi,unleashing a ferocious long-range drive that arrowed intothe top corner.

Osako produced a smart turn and finish inside the boxto equalise for Japan 10 minutes into the second half after

sustained pressure from the former champions. TheWerder Bremen striker put Japan in front four minutes lat-er, tapping into an empty net, and Doan added a deflectedthird after 70 minutes but Atayev smashed in a penaltynine minutes later to ensure more anxious moments for theJapanese.

In yesterday’s other Group F fixture, in Sharjah, EldorShomurodov was the hero for Uzbekistan as he struck fourminutes from time to grab a 2-1 win. Shanghai SIPG mid-fielder Odil Ahmedov fired the White Wolves ahead on 34minutes with a low free kick, before Oman’s Muhsen Al-Ghassani levelled midway through the second half.

But as full time loomed, Shomurodov shrugged off theattentions of two defenders and beat goalkeeper Faiz Al-Rushaidi at his near post to clinch victory.

Elsewhere, Qatar’s campaign in Group E opened underthe shadow of the Gulf showdown that has left them

blockaded and shunned by their neighbours, includingAsian Cup hosts UAE, for more than 18 months.

Near the end of a tepid opening half in Al Ain,Lebanon’s Ali Hamam thought he had scored with thegame’s first shot on target-only for his volley to be ruledout for a foul. The pace quickened in the second periodand the breakthrough came on 65 minutes, when BassamAl-Rawi swept a curling free kick over the wall and past adiving Mehdi Kahlil.

Substitute defender Abdelkarim Hassan, the 2018 Asianplayer of the year, was causing problems down the left andit was his break that created Qatar’s second when AlmoezAli gobbled up a rebound with 11 minutes on the clock.

It was a welcome win for Qatar, who as well as con-tending with the Gulf blockade are also desperate for agood showing before their next major tournament-the2022 World Cup on home soil. — AFP

DAKAR: Liverpool’s Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah poses withthe 2018 African Footballer of the Year Award also called Ballond’Or during an award ceremony in Dakar. — AFP

DAKAR: Mohamed Salah completed a memorable day forEgyptian football by retaining his African Player of theYear award in Senegal Tuesday. The 26-year-old Liverpoolstar finished first with club-mate Senegalese Sadio Maneand Arsenal and Gabon striker Pierre-EmerickAubameyang the other finalists.

“I have dreamt of winning this award since I was a childand now I have done so twice in a row,” Salah said soonafter receiving his trophy in Dakar. “My thanks go to myfamily, my team-mates and my fans and I dedicate this tro-phy to my homeland, Egypt.”

It was an identical outcome to last year when Salahbecame only the second Egyptian after 1983 winnerMahmoud al Khatib to be voted the best footballer in

Africa. Egypt crushed sole rivals South Africa 16-1 earlieron Tuesday in a CAF executive committee vote in Dakar todecide which country succeeded Cameroon as 2019 Cupof Nations hosts. Delays to preparations and concernsabout security resulted in the central African nation beingreplaced as hosts, and they will stage the 2021 tournamentinstead. While the 15-vote winning margin for Egypt wasunexpected, the success of Salah was anticipated as hecontinues to score regularly for the English PremierLeague leaders.

Salah netted 44 goals in all competitions for Liverpoollast season-his first with the Anfield club-and has bagged13 Premier League goals so far this season. Ironically,Aubameyang has scored one league goal more than Salah,topping the charts with Tottenham Hotspur and Englandstar Harry Kane on 14.

Salah was born in a northern Egyptian town Nagrig andused to make eight-hour return trips on buses to train withCairo-based El Mokawloon (Arab Contractors). Spottedby scouts from Swiss club Basel, he moved there in 2012before joining Premier League giants Chelsea two yearslater. Salah found scoring difficult early in his professionalcareer and was nicknamed “chancentod” (chance killer) bythe Swiss media.

Later, playing for Chelsea in a League Cup tie, theEgyptian was so off-target with a goal attempt that theball trickled over the touchline for a throw-in. Unhappy

with his two-goal return, Chelsea lent Salah to Italian out-fits Fiorentina and Roma, then sold him to the latter club.

Salah blossomed in Rome, averaging close to a goalevery two matches, and Liverpool paid almost 37 millionpounds (about $47 mn/41 mn euros) to sign him twoyears ago. The Egyptian had his share of setbacks lastyear, too, with an injury in the Champions League finalloss to Real Madrid also keeping him out of a World Cupdefeat by Uruguay.

He returned to score against hosts Russia and SaudiArabia, but the Pharaohs exited their first appearance atthe global showpiece in 28 years without securing evenone point. Salah netted twice and missed two penaltiesthree months later in a 6-0 Cup of Nations rout of Nigerand snatched the late winner in a 3-2 victory over Tunisiain the same competition.

Having defended his Player of the Year title, his nextgoal will be to match the four straight wins in the com-petition by former Manchester City and Ivory Coast starYaya Toure. The other male awards went to France-bornMorocco coach Herve Renard, the Mauritania nationalteam, and Moroccan Achraf Hakimi in the youth catego-ry. South African Chrestinah Kgatlana was votedWomen’s Player of the Year and South Africa coachDesiree Ellis and the Nigeria national team were the oth-er female winners. The Goal of the Year award also wentto Kgatlana.—AFP

Salah retains African award to seal great day for Egypt

On Friday 11th Jan.2019 for classes 8, 9 &10 (9.30 am-11.30 am, 2.00pm - 4.00pm &4.30pm-6.30pm)

On Saturday 12th Jan.2019 for classes 11 &12 (9.00am-11.00am, 11.30 am-1.30pm &2.30pm-4.30pm)

BY CAREER GURU DR. P.R.VENKITARAMAN

Students can register online throughwww.icsk-kw.com/careerguidance

Career counselling sessions with students and parents on a one-to-one basis with prior appointment.

Send mail to [email protected]

Any queries please contact: 00965 66563523 or 00965 94008386

1. University of Buffalo, New York,USA

2. Manipal Academy for HigherEducation (MAHE), Manipal

3. Leeds Beckett University, UK4. SRM Institute of Science &

Technology, Chennai5. Loughborough University, UK6. Rajagiri School of Engineering &

Technology, Kerala7. Cyberjaya University College of

Medical Sciences (CUCMS),Malaysia

8. Heriot - Watt University, UK9. Shiv Nadar University, NOIDA, UP10. Institut Francais Du Kuwait11. Federal Institute of Science &

Technology (FISAT), Kerala12. BITS – PILANI, Dubai13. O.P Jindal Global University,

Haryana14. Acharya Institute of Technology,

Bangalore15 Amity University, Dubai16. University of New Brunswick,

Canada17. Amal Jyothi College of

Engineering, Kerala18. Education Malaysia Global assist

(EMGA), Malaysia

19. Kristu Jayanti College, Bangalore20. Sunway University, Malaysia21. St. Joseph Engineering College,

Mangalore22. Kuwait Technical College, Kuwait23. Association of Chartered Certified

Accountants (ACCA)24. Thapar Institute of Engineering &

Technology, Punjab25. Manipal Academy for Higher

Education (MAHE), Dubai26. University of Bradford, UK27. Kumaraguru Group of Institutions,

Coimbatore28. INTI International University &

Colleges, Malaysia29. Arab Open University, Kuwait30. Labour India College, Kerala31. SEGi University, Malaysia32. Education Malaysia- Manipal

International University, Malaysia33. Grey Matter Academics, Chennai34. Bridges to International

Knowledge, Kuwait35. Jacobz Consultants, Kuwait36. Glinks Intrenational, Kuwait37. JNS Education38. Education Basket, Kuwait39. OM Consultants40. Itqan Education & Welfare Society

It is with great pride that The Indian CommunitySchool, Kuwait, hosts the Higher Education Fair2019, a one-of-a-kind mega event on the 11th and

12th of January 2019, as a part of its Diamond Jubileecelebration. The education fair is a premier endeavor,offering career talks, aptitude tests and career coun-selling and multiple courses in a single program. TheEducation Fair supplies a platform to interact withmany of the leading universities from around theglobe. The fair offers unlimited opportunities to stu-dents who wish to pursue higher education at variousUniversities.

This education fair is a maiden venture in Kuwait

owing to its magnitude and is a unique opportunityto open vistas of awareness on various courses andcareer opportunities to a large group of studentsfrom classes 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12. It will be a hugeprospect for the students and an estimated number ofabout 20,000 student participants from all the Indianschools in Kuwait are to be benefitted. Awarenessand right information offered at the Higher Educationfair -2019 can streamline the students to various aptcourses and smart career according to their aptitude.It is a very special initiative from the side of theschool in an effort to provide diverse prospects forthe students for their bright future. — Principal

CAREER GUIDANCE SEMINAR & TRAINING

UNIVERSITY EXHIBITIONOpen to all students (Classes VIII to XII)


ICSK HIGHER EDUCATION FAIR 2019Thursday, January 10, 2019

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ICSK HIGHER EDUCATION FAIR 2019

Ivane Javakhishvili TbilisiState University, Georgia


By Prof. Dr. PR Venkitaraman, Career Guru

Career choosing has become a difficult propositiontoday due to bewildering number and types ofopportunities emerging in our country. Many stu-

dents resort to study a course with no clear cut plan andidea about the job market and career options. I would liketo mention some of my observations gained from con-ducting more than 6000 seminars in India and abroad.

1. No Awareness about their career choices.2. Giving least importance of acquiring soft skills which

leads to failure in jobs.3. Lack of analytical skills and mismatch between

course and job domain.This indicates that an educated young Indian student

may have to change nearly 16 jobs during his life. Here areseven steps that will help to ensure that your choices arescientific, effective and stable.

1. Begin with your values.Begin your career search by sorting out your val-

ues and writing them down as clearly and distinctlyas you can.

2. Identify your skills and talents.A talent is something you've been born with, or at least

that you seem naturally qualified to do. It is important torecognize the difference between the two. You may beskilled at something and still not find it interesting.Chances are, however, if you are naturally talented atsomething, there will be a correspondence between thatparticular talent and your values.

3. Identify your preferences.From early on, we approach the world with certain

personal preferences--how we perceive others, how wethink and make decisions, whether we prefer conceptsover people or vice versa, and the extent to which we arecomfortable with uncertainty in our lives.

4. Experiment.There's no substitute for experience, the more the bet-

ter. It is probably safe to say that nearly every careerlooks vastly different from the outside than from within. Ifyou are new to the job market or if you are considering acareer change, get out and talk to people who are actuallydoing it.

5. Become broadly literate.In this high tech information world, there is an incredi-

ble pressure to specialize, to know more and more aboutless and less. That's dangerous, because it increases yourchances of being obsolescent immensely.

6. In your first job, opt for experience first, moneysecond.

One must contemplate as "Which position will offerme the best chance of becoming excellent at what I do?"and not necessarily the one that pays the highest initialsalary.

7. Invest five percent of your time, energy, and moneyinto furthering your career.

Dedicate yourself to getting ahead by keeping ahead,and you do that by controlling the one thing you can con-trol: your dedication to being the best that you can be.

Listing of careers1. IT Sector2. Business Administration3. Engineering Profession4. Charted Accountant5. Company Secretaries6. Work Accountants7. Financial Analysts8. Medicine9. Para Medical

Fashion designing, merchandising are yet some of theother creative fields that most of the younger lot opt for.Creative fields as these are still unorganised and are moreindividualistic.

Parameters considered for ranking of careers1. Salary compensation

2. Gestation period3. Growth in employing firms4. Employability rate5. Career growth6. Sustainability of Career7. Job sectors 8. Opportunity for self-development9. Opportunity for diversification

About Prof. (Dr.) P. R. Venkitaraman, Career GuruDr.P. R. Venkitaraman has conducted nearly 6000

career seminars in India and abroad. He is a renowned guruin Career guidance and counseling. He has written columnsin Times of India and also in other popular dailies. PRValso writes articles in “Vanitha” and Smart Family.

For a project of almost 2 years, PRV appeared every-

day in Amrita TV in Vidyabyasa Vartha answering careerquestions of students & parents. He also speaks on FMAll India Radio, Cochin, on all 365 days in a branded pro-gram “ENTHUPADIKANAM ENTHAGANAM” for thelast 10 years.

PRV is nominated as the National counselor byEducational Times of Times of India, and he was answer-ing 200 queries in a week. He has published 6 text booksand many scientific articles. He is a former Head &Professor in Mahathma Gandhi University. He has takenhis PhD from Cochin University of Science &Technology.

Dr PRV can be contacted for telecounselling onWednesdays & Fridays between 8pm & 9 pm on 04842319627.

TIPS TO CHOOSE YOUR CAREERThursday, January 10, 2019

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